VILLAGE HEALTH WORKS
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Community Oriented, Comprehensive Primary Health Care
Over many years in public health, a debate has raged between the merits of delivering a narrowly prescribed set of prevention interventions deemed “cost effective” (ie., vaccination and oral rehydration solution) and that of high quality health care, which encompasses treatment of disease or conditions based on the burden of disease in the community (such as the treatment of HIV and the provision of emergency obstetrical care). VHW believes that these concepts are not mutually exclusive and seeks to incorporate both in the design and execution of cost effective programs that address health promotion, disease prevention and the care and treatment of medical conditions and are driven by community priorities. Priority areas include child health, nutrition, the treatment and prevention of HIV, TB and malaria, and women’s health.
Agricultural Co-ops, Food Security Program
Food is medicine. That’s why the Food Security Program(http://www.villagehealthworks.org/our-work/comprehensive-approach/10-our-work/66-food-security-program) was our first community development initiative. When we began, community members’ diets were often completely limited to cassava, which doesn’t just lack in nutrients – it’s also toxic when not properly prepared. Today, we offer agriculture education, seeds and seedlings, demonstration gardens, land for community garden cooperatives and home garden visits.
The VHW health center also has a malnutrition ward to treat the severely malnourished and provide education to our patients.
Education
Village Health Works addresses one of the key root causes of poverty – lack of education – through activities focused on our youngest community members and their families. The Education Program focuses on providing students with basic educational materials and access to pre-primary and primary education, developing teachers’ skills through a training program in coordination with area schools, and engaging parents to take an active role in their children’s academic success.
Economic Development
The Economic Development program provides training for vulnerable community members—mostly women—so they can lift themselves out of poverty. To this end, Village Health Works supports cooperatives in weaving, sewing, soap-making, and baking. These groups not only provide a source of income and economic empowerment, but also offer a safe space for camaraderie and friendship for women who have suffered from gender-based violence.
Where we work
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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?
Village Health Works (VHW) aims to build a healthier and more just, peaceful, and prosperous society in Burundi and beyond. Over the next five years, we plan to expand clinical capacity by constructing the Women's Health Pavilion, a state-of-the-art teaching hospital designed to meet the specific health needs of women and children. The Pavilion will provide safe delivery of babies, safe emergency obstetric care, vital neonatal care, and the capacity to develop comprehensive surgical services. This expansion will secure Village Health Works as a model center of excellence and also begin our efforts to scale impact across Burundi. In Kigutu, Burundi, we will strengthen local infrastructure, expand regional and international partnerships, and broaden our clinical, educational, agricultural, and economic development programs to meet the most pressing community needs.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
The Woman's Health Pavilion constitutes the centerpiece of VHW's long-term plan to establish a comprehensive, state-of-the-art teaching hospital in Burundi. In the next decade, VHW hopes to address not only maternal health priorities but also to expand its services to provide much needed surgical care in other areas, such as abdominal surgery, orthopedics, ophthalmology, oncology, and fistula repair. While the short-term plan for the next three to five years is focused on building the WHP and increasing the availability of housing for clinical/supporting staff, the longterm plan includes the expansion of the hospital to include additional wards (i.e. pediatric and men's wards), expanded laboratory facilities, as well as an extension of the preschool that VHW currently operates on campus, adding classes all the way through to 12th grade.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
VHW is a grassroots organization that enjoys the strong support of a large number of individuals and family foundations. In the five years since 2010, individuals have contributed on average 61% and family foundations have contributed 27% of VHW's funding. Over the same period, the organization has seen remarkable growth with total contributions increasing by an average of ~40% annually.
VHW has built a strong leadership team in both Kigutu, Burundi and the US operating a robust organizational system that
communicates regularly on Finance, HR, Clinical Program, Non-Clinical Programs, Facilities and M&E activities. In addition to the 150 FTEs and 150 part-time Community Health Workers in Kigutu, VHW has built a unique team of NY-based architects and engineers, US-trained doctors and key individuals in Kigutu who bring in-depth knowledge of the region as well as local construction and project implementation expertise.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
VHW's campus has seen exponential growth in the past few years, both in the scope of its programs and supporting infrastructure. VHW has built a medical warehouse in 2014 in response to the significant growth of its clinical program, and to accommodate the increase in storage needs for medications. This warehouse is now being used to store construction materials in advance of VHW's breaking ground for the Women's Health Pavilion and is a keystone building of the campus. VHW has already built two water tanks to provide clean water on its campus and surrounding community, as well as a 130kw hydroelectric plant to provide clean energy as energy demands increase. This supporting infrastructure will help guarantee the long term sustainability of the Woman's Health Pavilion given its rural setting.
The next step is breaking ground for the hospital, which VHW aims to do before end of 2017.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
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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
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VILLAGE HEALTH WORKS
Board of directorsas of 06/18/2019
Ms. Anne Peretz
The Family Center
Term: 2012 -
Paul English
Kayak.com
Paul Farmer
Partners In Health
Anne Peretz
The Family Center
Deogratias Niyizonkiza
Village Health Works
Joia Mukherjee
Partners In Health
Tracy Kidder
Writer
Lesley King
Partners In Health
Jozelyn Davis
BancLab LLC
Andrew Haring
Talking Rain Beverage Company
William Jacob
Goldman Sachs
Megan Newman
Penguin Group USAPenguin Group USA
Theodore Niyongabo
Burundi's Medical Research Centre
Lawrence Goldberg
Schulte Roth & Zabel
Sharon Jacob
The London Philaharmonia
Thomas McIntyre
Kings County Hospital
Kentaro Toyoma
University of Michigan School of Information