Healey International Relief Foundation
Turning Scars Into Stars
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
HealeyIRF began its efforts in Sierra Leone in 2001 and has expanded its programs and reach year over year. We have always operated with local partnerships and community-based solutions with the goal of sustainable results. Many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have been making progress in improving their health outcomes; however, Sierra Leone continues to struggle particularly with under-5 mortality and maternal mortality. The civil war and now Ebola have undoubtedly contributed to this; however, other factors such as corruption and poor governance play a key role in the lack of progress in addressing the inadequacies of the health care infrastructure. We formed a small subset of hospitals and clinics to begin to understand what medicines and medical equipment would need to be supplied, the challenges of acquiring large quantities of donated medicines and supplies, in-country logistics issues – both delivery and storage – and how to coordinate efforts among the different facilities.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Charity Health Network
Healey International Relief Foundation currently supports four hospitals and ten clinics throughout Sierra Leone. Known as the Charity Health Network, these healthcare facilities are making an impact. For example, maternal care has significantly improved at the Monsignor Daniel Sullivan Health Clinic in Newton. With trained medical staff, needed equipment and reliable access to medical supplies, the Monsignor Dan Clinic is providing trusted and safe healthcare services. Due to high demand, plans are already underway to build a maternity ward and pharmacy.
The geography of Sierra Leone proves to be a difficult landscape and many cannot reach a clinic, or afford proper healthcare. Partnering with Caritas Freetown, our mobile health unit provides free healthcare services to all and offers psychosocial support, medicines, referrals and community educational programs and training. Targeting 40 vulnerable communities throughout the Western District, the mobile health unit clinic brings services to people who were unreachable. Making health care resources more accessible and helping people understand the importance of seeing a doctor or medical professional is a vital step in rebuilding trust and improving the healthcare system in Sierra Leone.
Additional clinics and expanded services will be added to the Charity Health Network with a total of 30 facilities to be included in the nationwide network. Prior to the 11-year Sierra Leone civil war (1991-2002), the Catholic Archdiocese managed over 48 health care clinics; however, like so many other organizations in the country, throughout the course of the civil war, buildings were destroyed and this vital health care infrastructure wiped out. Restoring this valuable resource to the people of Sierra Leone is the goal of the Charity Health Network.
St. Stephen's Community
St. Stephen’s is a community was established to provide psycho-social support and shelter for Sierra Leoneans who became victims of the horrific civil war that plagued the country. To their fellow countrymen and women, those maimed and brutalized during the war were a constant reminder of a brutal and dark time, one in which changed their country forever. The victims, mostly suffering from permanent wounds, disabilities and amputations, were shunned from society.
The community was established to offer sanctuary, commonality, and love amongst a group of people who had suffered major atrocities and had nowhere to turn. The community shares a common bond with their brothers and sisters and no longer feel as if they are being looked down upon, ogled, or ignored. Men, women, and children are learning, growing, healing and giving back to the world that has practically forgotten them. HealeyIRF has not forgotten and will continue to fight for their self-respect and new beginnings.
The Foundation provides onsite medical care to amputee victims and their families in the village as well as educational tools and resources, in-kind donations of clothing, household goods, food, toiletries and general supplies.
Orphan and Vulnerable Children Program
Healey International Relief Foundation has a long tradition of helping orphans in Sierra Leone. From our support of St. Mary’s Home during the war to present day Ebola orphans, our efforts provide the love and resources needed to Turn Scars Into Stars. It has been rewarding to see the children grow into young adults and begin their own lives.
The Ebola epidemic has reopened old wounds, creating the second wave of orphans. A staggering 12,000 children have been left orphaned and while many have extended families that will help with their care, thousands do not, risking exploitation, stigma and malnutrition.
HealeyIRF is leading efforts in the Western Area of Sierra Leone where over 2,000 children lost their families. Concentrating our efforts at two Interim Care Centers (ICC) in Newton and Cline Town we are providing the children shelter, food and education.
In addition to the ICC’s, we are providing support to 300 orphans who have found extended family or foster families to care for them.
These new families; however, need a little help with education fees and other daily needs and we are stepping in to provide this assistance.
In all our efforts a safe and nurturing environment for the children is our number one priority.
Medical Supplies and Donations
From our warehouse at our headquarters in Lumberton, NJ to our warehouse in the Brookfields area of Freetown, one of the strengths of the HealeyIRF is the logistics and supply network that we have developed over the years since our founding.
A foundation of trusted resources and partnerships allows us to bridge the gap in Sierra Leone’s healthcare supply chain and provide food, clothing and other needed items.
Starting with our initial work at St. Mary’s Children’s Home, St. Stephen’s Home for Amputees and Serabu Hospital HealeyIRF has supplied needed medical supplies and equipment that has helped improve medical services and care to vulnerable and under-served populations in the Western Area and Southern District in Sierra Leone.
With the expansion of our health network to the Eastern and Northern Districts, the need for supplies has grown. Through expanding partnerships we have been able to meet this demand
Economic and Community Development
72% of the population in Sierra Leone lives on less than $1 a day — less than $1 a day is classified as extreme poverty. In addition, 60% of those between the ages of 15-35 are unemployed. Promoting economic and community development are key factors to bringing stability to Sierra Leone, reducing poverty and creating better healthcare.
Through the establishment of a social enterprise, HealeyIRF plans to create jobs for the people of Sierra Leone and ensure the sustainability of HealeyIRF charitable programs.
The plans for the social venture include a facility that will produce needed medical products for Sierra Leone and the entire Mano River area. The facility will be located in an existing Special Economic Zone industrial park outside of Freetown with access to a developed and very good road network leading to Freetown and upcountry Sierra Leone.
Finally, as a social venture, surpluses will be used to support the sustainable delivery of healthcare services throughout the Charity Health Network.
Women's Empowerment Programs
In Sierra Leone, women suffered from a decade-long civil war that saw young girls between the ages of 6 through 18 kidnapped from their villages, brought back to the rebel camps and forced into prostitution and slavery. Heinous acts were committed against these girls and after being shunned by their families most turned to the only profession they knew to provide for themselves, prostitution.
HealeyIRF established projects in the past to address the plight of such women and young girls. Fatima House of Light, located in the slums of Cline Town, Freetown, was established as a school and safe haven, ultimately becoming a beacon of light. The young girls and women were rescued from a life on the streets and provided a safe place to live, educational and psychosocial support. Due to the Ebola crisis classes were suspended. A new curriculum and reestablished program plans are underway, hoping to see classes resume again very soon.
HealeyIRF very much recognizes the importance of women maintaining strong positions within their programs and hopes to incorporate similarly plans and objectives for all future projects.
Relief Aid and Response Team
A country hard hit by a decade-long civil war, Sierra Leone faced further hardship during the recent Ebola crisis that raged from May 2014 until March 2016. With over 14,000 confirmed cases of Ebola and nearly 4,000 deaths in Sierra Leone, Ebola wreaked havoc on every family and every community. HealeyIRF was one of the first on the ground bringing food and medical supplies to those in need and providing training to communities on how to fight and defeat Ebola.
Although Ebola was eventually contained, HealeyIRF continued to provide food and medical care for families who fell victim to the virus, quarantined homes and villages and most recently Ebola survivors. Thousands upon thousands were fed before, during and after this very tumultuous time in the country.
Shortly after Ebola, the country faced endless torrential rain storms and massive flooding, destroying thousands of homes for many families. HealeyIRF's in-country team responded immediately to those displaced; providing hundreds and hundreds of pounds of food relief, rice, and safe drinking water. Our team administered medical aid extending our mobile health unit to care for thousands in need. Medical supplies, equipment, emergency blankets, and clothing was a major part of the distribution.
Serabu Hospital; Bumpe Ngao chiefdom, Sierra Leone, West Africa
One of the crown jewels in the diadem of Sierra Leone was the hospital in Serabu and its nursing school. Beginning as a one room maternity clinic in the 1950’s, it thrived and became the country’s premier rural hospital, with 120 beds and patients traveling from great distances for medical care. With civil war came destruction and the hospital was not spared. Equipment was destroyed, drugs stolen and the hospital stood as a shell of its former self.
Rebuilding and restoring health services to this region was essential as Serabu is in one of the most under-developed areas – Southern District –in the country. Considered a tropical rain forest, it is rift with diseases such as malaria, typhoid, cholera, diarrhea and a multitude of fevers. Without medical care, the chance of survival is minimal.
In 2011, through partnerships with United States Agency for International Development, Maternal and Child Health Integrated Programs, private medical foundations, charitable organizations and other sources HealeyIRF refurbished and repaired Serabu Hospital and it now serves over 200 patients per month. Serabu Hospital is part of the Charity Health Network.
Where we work
External reviews
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Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of pregnant women giving birth at a health facility
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Charity Health Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of deliveries at health facilities we support in the Western Area of Sierra Leone.
Number of patient visits
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
Charity Health Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This represents the number of outpatient and follow-up visits at four health care facilities we support in the Western Area of Sierra Leone
Number of Antenatal Visits
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
This represents the number of antenatal care visits at the four western area facilities that we support.
Number of children receiving antiworming treatment
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers
Related Program
Charity Health Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of Under-5's receiving albendazole at 14 health facilities throughout Sierra Leone.
Number of pregnant and lactating women receiving multivitamins
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Women and girls
Related Program
Charity Health Network
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Number of women receiving multivitamins at 14 health care facilities throughout Sierra Leone.
Number of children and youth who have received access to stable housing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Orphan and Vulnerable Children Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of children who have access to education
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth
Related Program
Orphan and Vulnerable Children Program
Type of Metric
Context - describing the issue we work on
Direction of Success
Increasing
Value of medicines & supplies provide to clincs & hospitals in Sierra Leone
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Infants and toddlers, Children and youth, Adults
Related Program
Medical Supplies and Donations
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Learn 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?
- Provide a network of sound health facilities strategically located and appropriately staffed so that no person or place will be forgotten or neglected.
-A social enterprise supporting a self-sustaining, resilient and locally operated Health Network in Sierra Leone consisting of 5 hospitals and 15 clinics throughout the country
-Raise the level of healthcare awareness in communities by reducing the high incidence of common, communicable diseases through preventive and curative services
-Encourage a healthier lifestyle and living through educational services offered both on-site and through local outreach programs
-Promotion of environmental health in regard to safe drinking water through sanitary measures, especially in the rural areas.
-A consolidated care center at River #2 for the development of up to 40 orphans & vulnerable children (OVC) through adolescence
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Orphan Care: Orphan and Vulnerable Child Program:
Create a stable, safe, and nurturing environment; strengthening the stages of adolescence, physical, intellectual, emotional and social development; Provide full healthcare services for each child monitoring progress of growth development, physical exams, vaccinations and vitamin and nutritional provisions; Provide schooling, educational materials and resources to improve upon academic; Improve cognitive and psycho-social care by way of mentors, counselors, and tutors; Maintain and improve the support of the “life plan” or future goals for each child. This includes scholarship opportunities, higher education, vocational training development that encourages self-empowerment and sustainability; Sustain communication with beneficiaries beyond program completion.
-Re-evaluate home layout and design to ensure sufficient space
-Improve capacity; determination made for the proper number of children that the home will safely accommodate including the completion of child census and evaluation measurements implemented.
-Staff appropriately; determine management and staff full and part-time, complete background and working history, live-in staff, kitchen help, security, etc.
-Furnish the home; providing supplies, personal hygiene care items, storage, beds, dressers, sheets, linens towels, home décor, lighting, furniture, seating, desks, cleaning supplies, etc.
-Develop and implement child “progress” system of implementation for all supported areas: healthcare, education, social, etc.
Healthcare Services:
Develop standards and protocols for hospital and clinic operations in the Western area; Develop standards and protocols for logistics and supply chain operations in the Western area; An expanded collaborative network beyond the Western area in Sierra Leone consisting of 5 hospitals and 10 clinics
-Compile relevant policy documents from international organizations and the Ministry of Health & other relevant agencies to ensure network adheres to international & national standards
-Develop Clinic/Hospital Assessment Survey to determine facility capabilities, resources, staffing, yearly budget, and current funding support at Western Area health facilities. The assessment should also include a quantification of medicine and medical supply usage.
-Review possibilities for ASHA grant at Healey supported hospitals and make decision on applying
-Identify & apply for grants to expand St. Anthony’s/Stella Maris/Father Dan Clinic/anesthesia machines
-Form Health Network Committee (HNC) to include all stakeholders to develop input on Western area network establishment and process for the development of management structure, operation standards and priority health intervention protocols
-Conduct Assessment Survey - Western Area facilities
-HNC reports on areas of initial coordination among Western area facilities and outlines future coordination
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
HealeyIRF is committed to seeing projects from start to finish. The first portion of the USAID funded project was very successful wherein we were able to see what works for the Hospital and what does not. Major construction took place during the initial phase of the project which included a new water system, new roofing, as well as furniture and equipment built. Donated usable medical equipment was valued in excess of $10 million dollars, and was shipped from the United States in 18 containers, from 20’ to 40’, fully loaded to Sierra Leone. All of our medical supplies, equipment and aid made it safely to the hospital. Trusted resources and established relationships with the contractors and our project manager played a major role in the success of the initial project. Serabu General Hospital is a project that has come a long way, very successfully, but there are further aspects we must address to see the entire project come to fruition. This is a predominantly U.S. led hospital that has to date achieved its intended purposes and merits continued support from HealeyIRF and U.S. Government programs such as ASHA to bring it to the point in the near-future that it will no longer need outside funding. The Foundation has also established an excellent working relationship with MCHIP and they are prepared to participate in this next stage of the project by continuing to bring their team to Serabu and elevate their training program to fit the broadened scope of the project.
We now have secure and trustworthy partnerships established with all the relevant public sector health authorities and a firm presence in a significantly remote area of Sierra Leone that is and will benefit disproportionately from American expertise and funding. We have been greatly inspired by the motivation of the people of Sierra Leone to utilize this assistance to pursue a tangible and sustainable improvement in their quality of life, in order to take care of themselves and their families for years to come. Serabu Hospital is able to provide a strong foundation for current medical needs and the training of local healthcare providers to safeguard and expand future access to reliable care. This project is two-fold, with healthcare and education being pursued hand-in-hand. There is no better arena in Sierra Leone for the establishment of rural healthcare and training than Serabu.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Our most recent visit to Sierra Leone in October of 2018 has confirmed that we are on the right path forward. Although it's a challenge creating this thoughtful, careful and collaborative plan with specific goals to achieve, we are confident that the vision of a Sierra Leone Health Network will come to fruition. In addition, supporting the growth and development of young children will set them on the path to bright futures and “turn scars into stars.”
*Healey International Relief Foundation currently supports four hospitals and ten clinics throughout Sierra Leone, under the Charity Health Network. These healthcare facilities are making an impact. Maternal care has significantly improved at the Monsignor Daniel Sullivan Health Clinic in Newton. With trained medical staff, needed equipment and reliable access to medical supplies, the Monsignor Dan Clinic is providing trusted and safe healthcare services.
*Operating a mobile health unit our partner, Caritas Freetown, delivers free healthcare and offers psycho-social services, medicines, referrals and community educational programs and training. HealeyIRF supports the mobile clinic by providing medicines and medical supplies. Targeting 40 vulnerable communities throughout the Western District, the mobile health unit clinic brings services to people who were unreachable. Making healthcare resources more accessible and helping people understand the importance of seeing a doctor or medical professional is a vital step in rebuilding trust and improving the healthcare system in Sierra Leone.
*One of the strengths of the HealeyIRF is the logistics and supply network that we have developed over the years since our founding. From our warehouse in Lumberton, NJ to our warehouse in the Brookfields area of Freetown, a foundation of trusted resources and partnerships allows us to bridge the gap in Sierra Leone’s healthcare supply chain and provide food, clothing and other needed items.
*With the expansion of our health network to the Eastern and Northern Districts the need for supplies has grown. Through expanding partnerships we have been able to meet this demand.
*HealeyIRF is supporting St. Mary’s-Fatima House Interim Care Center at River #2, housing 26 children.
Up Next:
**An agreement between facilities in the Western area to function as a formal healthcare and logistics network
**An expanded collaborative network beyond the Western area in Sierra Leone consisting of 5 hospitals and 10 clinics
**A social enterprise supporting a self-sustaining, resilient and locally operated Catholic Health Network in Sierra Leone consisting of 5 hospitals and 15 clinics
**Maintain and improve the support of the “life plan” or future goals for each child. This includes scholarship opportunities, higher education, vocational training development that encourages self-empowerment and sustainability
**Develop annual report that communicates and updates status of “life outside the home” for each beneficiary
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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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
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- 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.
Healey International Relief Foundation
Board of directorsas of 10/12/2023
Robert Healey Sr.
Healey International Relief Foundation
Robert T. Healey
Healey International Relief Foundation
Robert T. Healey Jr.
Healey International Relief Foundation
Joan Lewis
EWTN, Rome Bureau Chief
Riley Scott
Scott Consulting, LLC
Mary Alexis Iaccarino, MD
Mass General Hospital for Children
Leigh Healey Hughes
Seraphim Ventures LLC
Patrick H. Lukulay, Ph.D.
Technology Solutions for Global Health
Robert Sherriff
Viking Group
Board leadership practices
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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? Not applicable -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Not applicable -
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? Not applicable -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Not applicable -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Not applicable