My Nonprofit Reviews

I've been involved with HealthEd Connect for over 6 years. The results of the grassroots, community-based empowerment approach utilized by the organization speak louder than any words I could write in this review. Each year I return to the communities I am in awe of the organic growth that is happening in the various education and health programs as the local community identifies areas of need and collaborates with HealthEd Connect for identifying sustainable solutions. Global work is a challenging endeavor navigating distance and varied cultures, and HealthEd Connect is committed to listening and learning from the local communities for implementing thoughtful and sustainable tools and resources. While the name may not be universally known or recognized like larger international organizations, the positive impact of HealthEd Connect in the communities in which is serves cannot be stated enough. If you're looking to support an organization that respects the communities in which it works, recognizes a local community knows its own needs' priorities better than any well-meaning outsider, and focuses on providing evidence-based tools and education to the local communities with a foundation of empowerment and partnership, then you've found what you're looking for with HealthEd Connect.

As a social worker, I believe firmly in empowerment as one of the biggest tools for positive change. HealthEd Connect provides education and tools to local volunteer citizens in the communities where they are involved, based on the needs identified by those within the communities. Their's is a commitment for the long-term and to empower entire communities to grow and promote positive change through health and education. And their approach is one that values and recognizes that by partnering together, amazing things can happen. The founders of HealthEd Connect have been working in these communities for many years and have built solid relationships and a genuine respect for the different cultures, foundational to the work being done now by the organization. I have had the priviledge to work on the ground in Zambia with HealthEd Connect for the past two years to help develop programs to support the emotional health of orphans in these communities, and am so humbled to be a part of the work of this organization and the amazing work of the local community health workers who have expanded thier view of "health" from strictly physical to also the mental and emotional. In Zambia, many orphans' and vulnerable children's stories include their lives being affected in some way by HIV. In this culture, there is often a stigma associated with having HIV, and during the time spent in those communities, I witnessed firsthand the local community health workers fighting this stigma through education and support for those who had contracted this virus. There have been lives saved, length and quality of lives prolonged, and babies born HIV-free. In addition, children who have felt the broad spectrum of effects of this disease in their brief lives thus far have been able to discover they are not alone and found a safe space to be emotionally supported. And all of this is thanks to the work of HealthEd Connect in Zambia and the commitment, dedication, and tireless work of the local community healthworkers. What an incredibly humbling priviledge to have witnessed this positive change happening in Zambia! And what hope lies ahead for continued growth and change in these communities because of the shared vision, energy, and dedication of this organization and the local healthworkers!

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