IMA World Health
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Around the world -- and especially in the world's most fragile settings -- people are dying because they don’t have the health care they need.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Global Health Security
IMA World Health supports countries and communities in preventing, preparing for and responding to outbreaks or pandemics in accordance with the Global Health Security Agenda. IMA works with state and community actors to support preparedness and health resilience activities, systems strengthening for rapid outbreak and case detection and emergency management activities for immediate response. IMA directly responded to the second largest Ebola outbreak in the world and the largest ever in the Democratic Republic of Congo and continues to strengthen COVID-19 response and prevention across the globe.
Health Systems Strengthening
IMA World Health strengthens integrated, holistic and sustainable health systems that increase access to quality health care in fragile countries. IMA supports health systems at the national, subnational (i.e., district) and community levels, providing tailored assistance and capacity strengthening that boosts engagement, capability and investment at all levels of a country’s health system. Our approach encompasses the World Health Organization’s (WHO) building blocks of health systems strengthening: improved health service delivery, health workforce development, information systems, access to essential medicines, health system financing and leadership and governance.
Social and Behavior Change
IMA World Health implements high quality social and behavior change (SBC) strategies both as stand-alone interventions and, most frequently, as part of integrated methodologies across our health programming. IMA’s approach to SBC is inclusive, human-centered and highly participatory. We work at the community and district level to co-design and co-create activities based on joint needs assessments. By leveraging community expertise, IMA champions local stakeholders and implements programming that considers the social norms and environmental determinants of diverse contexts.
Integrated Primary Health Care Support and Delivery
IMA World Health’s integrated primary health care approach provides comprehensive, accessible, community-based care that meets the health needs of individuals throughout their life. We consider the human, financial, social and physical needs of an individual to improve service delivery and advance universal access with an emphasis on women and youth. In accordance with WHO principles, our primary health care approach encompasses three key elements: meet people’s health care needs throughout their lives; address the broader determinants of health through multisectoral programming and policy; and empower individuals, families and communities to take charge of their own health.
Where we work
Affiliations & memberships
InterAction - Member 2018
External reviews
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Total number of project participants that benefited directly from global health project activities and people indirectly served.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Bed nets distributed to people across sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of medical services provided in Ukraine.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
IMA World Health works to put health in reach for everyone, everywhere. With the other world-class organization in our Corus International family, IMA's goal is to deliver holistic, lasting solutions to overcome the interconnected challenges of poverty, health care access, education and climate change
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
IMA World Health operates in the world’s most fragile settings to promote healthy behaviors and ensure access to high-quality, equitable and person-centered health services. We co-create innovative ideas and strategies to save lives and build resilient health systems. By partnering with change agents at the local and national level, we advance the health agenda of communities and nations using evidence and expertise to deliver improved health outcomes efficiently and effectively.
Our work is centered on four strategic pillars: global health security, health systems strengthening, social and behavior change, and integrated primary health care support and delivery.
Our work spans:
1. Technical advice to governments, health care networks, civil society organizations and local leadership bodies
2. Health systems support to bridge gaps in health service delivery in fragile settings and emergencies
3. Capacity strengthening of local and national change agents, organizations and systems
4. Innovative approaches to community health, health promotion, social and behavioral changes, and response to GBV survivors.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
IMA World Health began as Interchurch Medical Assistance in 1960. Our more than 60 year history is based heavily in partnership: with member agencies, with donors, with the people we serve. Everything IMA does, it does in partnership and builds on decades of experience.
We have extensive presence in the countries where we operate. Our staff feature public health experts who bring the best in science and practice to national and local partners. Our connections with ministries of health, district medical staff and community service organizations and communities of faith ensure we serve the most vulnerable, sustainably. We align our work with national plans and priorities and work to build local capacity that will thrive long after we are gone.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Disease Prevention and Treatment
Ebola: Since the 1990s, we’ve helped contain nearly a dozen Ebola outbreaks, primarily in the Democratic Republic of Congo. When the largest outbreak in DRC’s history emerged in 2018, we were one of the few teams able to provide an immediate response that reached deep into the highest-risk communities. We prepared and equipped 85 hospitals and health clinics to effectively screen, identify and isolate Ebola patients. These facilities were able to provide consultations and services to 448,576 patients. We set up 78 Ebola triage and isolation units and 164 water supply and hygiene systems.
Neglected Tropical Diseases: In Haiti, we trained community health workers to protect and treat more than 6 million people from lymphatic filariasis, a disease that causes people to suffer severe swelling. We have also helped significantly reduced the number of children with intestinal worms, from 37% in 2002 to 14.5% in 2019 — resulting in better health, nutrition, school attendance and achievement for hundreds of thousands of children.
COVID-19: In 2020, we quickly integrated COVID-19 prevention and treatment into all our programming and launched new efforts where needs were greatest. In Kenya, for example, we tapped a cohort of 500 previously trained community health workers to serve as frontline COVID fighters. They conducted contract tracing and supported home based isolation and care for patients who could safely be managed at home. We also rushed supplies and equipment to medical workers and provided an intensive training of trainers, which reached 97 health facilities.
Malaria: In the past decade, we’ve distributed more than 7.5 million nets and provided preventive care for 1.6 million pregnant women across sub-Saharan Africa.
Maternal and Child Health
In Nairobi, Kenya, we provided maternity health workers with advanced training, which resulted in a 40% decrease in maternal deaths and a 23% decrease in newborn deaths over a 3-year period.
In the DRC, only 1.3% of health facilities in our program area were able to help pregnant women with difficult deliveries — and save their newborns — at the start of the program. Six years later, 86% of facilities now provide these services, which include emergency C-sections and caring for sick or premature newborns. We also helped health workers and counselors reach 20,000 survivors with SGBV services.
Malnutrition
We trained and supported health workers in Tanzania to teach mothers and fathers how provide the best nourishment and care for their young children. They reached 6.4 million people through home visits and increased attendance at prenatal care sessions by 10 times, or 1000%.
We got health workers in South Sudan the support and training they needed to screen more than 144,500 children for malnutrition, conduct more than 89,900 outpatient consultations and reach more than 45,400 vulnerable people with health education messaging.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
IMA World Health
Board of directorsas of 03/22/2023
Jean Hanson
Retired partner, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP
Sonya Funna Evelyn
Adventist Development & Relief Agency
Abagail Nelson
Episcopal Relief & Development
Philip Atkins-Pattenson
Sheppard Mullin, LLP
Dr. William Craft
Concordia College
Hilda M. Arellano
Retired from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Dr. Kathi Tunheim
Gustavus Adolphus College
Muna Bhanji
Former senior executive with Merck
Marcelino Ford-Livene
Intel Capital
Kenneth Jones II
MacArthur Foundation
The Rev. Dr. David Lose
Senior Pastor, Mt. Olivet Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minn.
Tamron Keith
Presbyterian World Mission
Dr. Kurt Newman
Children's National Hospital
Dr. Cathy A. Petti
MoDx
The Rev. Tim Runtsch
Senior Pastor, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, CO
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No