My Nonprofit Reviews
karensgoldman
Review for Global Links, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Volunteering at Global Links is a great experience for me and my whole family. We feel like we're doing somehting really important and that even our teenagers can help with. Volunteers are instrumental in achieveing the mission of the organization but also learn a great deal, for example, about health care in the developing world, and the abundance of waste that is not recycled on our own healthcare system.
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Would you volunteer for this group again?
Definitely
For the time you spent, how much of an impact did you feel your work or activity had?
A lot
Did the organization use your time wisely?
Very Well
Would you recommend this group to a friend?
Definitely
When was your last experience with this nonprofit?
2011
Review for Global Links, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
One of the global concerns that I feel needs attention is health care. While it is obvious that there are serious inequalities in access to and quality of health care in the United States, the concern I am addressing in this essay is one related to the absolute lack of even the most basic care in developing countries. In the world’s poorest nations, most people do not have access to even the lowest quality hospitals, clinics, providers, supplies, medicines and health care equipment. With all of the amazing advances in technology and research in the developed countries, millions of people die each year of causes that are completely preventable by basic things like clean water, inexpensive vaccines, medicines and simple procedures for care. Obviously, enormous efforts are needed on a geopolitical scale to remedy this.
On the other hand, wealthy countries like the U.S. waste millions of pounds of medical supplies every year. Instruments, supplies, medicines and many other things get thrown away before their usefulness runs out because of rules and regulations, lack of attention to recycling opportunities and sometimes just laziness. My sensitivity to this problem has been heightened since I started working at Global Links, a Pittsburgh-based organization that collects and recycles used and expired medical equipment and supplies. I think that if every city had such a program, we would go a long way to helping developing countries improve medical care. Global Links does wonderful work. Every U.S. city should have a Global Links site.
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I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...
seeing letters and pictures from recipients of the supplies and equipment that Global Links provides.
If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...
Add more sites for collecting, sorting and packing!
