My Nonprofit Reviews

In the summer of 2018, I had the opportunity to intern at Operation ASHA based in New Delhi, India. Operation ASHA, OpASHA for short, is one of the largest NGOs in the world with the mission of bringing lifesaving tuberculosis (TB) treatment to underserved communities.

While TB is eradicated in the U.S., this is not the case in many other countries around the world. Each year 10.4 million people fall ill with tuberculosis and 1.8 million die. Of those who fall ill, 1 million are children, and 100,000 of these children lose their lives. Furthermore, their is a huge stigma surrounding TB, perpetuated by fear and misunderstanding. Because of this stigma, 100,000 women are thrown out of their homes if families suspect they have TB, and 300,000 children are forced to leave school for the same reason. Keeping this in mind, also know that India in particular holds 27% of the world's global TB burden. It is for this reason that OpASHA works out of New Delhi to ensure last-mile delivery of much needed healthcare.

OpASHA has had great success because of their unique delivery model. It is low cost, high impact, local, and sustainable. Using a simple tablet and fingerprint scanner, OpASHA trains community health workers to keep track of and help patients, thereby ensuring the full, 6-month delivery of medication needed to treat TB. With this model, just $80 treats each patient. If patients default out of the program, they are at risk of developing drug resistant TB, an even more lethal disease. OpASHA's system reduces default rate to an unprecedented 3%, thereby increasing treatment success rate to 89% and reducing the risk of developing a drug resistant form of TB.

During my internship, I've had the opportunity to see how this organization functions and witness the real, positive way it has impacted people's lives. I've been able to go on site visits to see the last-mile delivery of treatment in action. I've been present when TB patients arrive at the health center, scan their fingerprint, and get their medication. The photo attached is from a site visit. Serving a population of over 15.6 million since the organization began, OpASHA has made a real difference in people's lives.