HEALTH VOLUNTEERS OVERSEAS
Transforming Lives through Education
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
According to the World Health Organization, there is a global shortage of more the 7.2 million health professionals – a figure that will grow to 18 million by 2030. This shortage disproportionately affects low- and middle-income countries. These countries have limited human and financial resources and face a significant burden of disease. While health care providers in these resource-limited settings may be devoted to learning and improving their skills to meet the health needs of their communities, they are working in strained systems. The infrastructure at health institutions in resource-limited settings may lack access to essential medicines and supplies, and shortages in the number of health care providers add to the challenge. Because of these limited resources, not enough health care professionals receive training; few have the opportunity for continued professional education and growth, and most work in isolation with little opportunity to learn from nearby colleagues.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
HVO Teaching & Training
HVO brings quality health care to more of the world’s people by providing training, education and professional support to the health workforce in resource-scarce countries. Highly qualified health care professionals share their knowledge, skills and enthusiasm with their colleagues overseas. Their work has extended across a spectrum of specialties: anesthesia, dermatology, hand surgery, hematology, internal medicine, nurse anesthesia, nursing education, oncology, oral health, orthopaedics, pediatrics, physical therapy, emergency medicine, mental health, pharmacy, and wound management. These volunteers help tackle some of the most pressing global health care challenges - trauma care, child and maternal health, cancer care, safe surgery, rehabilitation and more.
Where we work
Awards
One of the best small charities in the greater Washington DC region 2017
Catalgoue for Philanthropy
meets 20 of 20 standards 2021
Better Business Bureau
External reviews
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of hours of training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The # of hours volunteers, across all program areas, provided teaching & training to health professionals in low-resource settings in-person. (2020 pivot to online due to COVID-19, see other data pts)
Number of volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total # of individuals who volunteer as educators with HVO each year. (NOTE: 2020 reflects # virtual volunteers only. In-person training suspended due to COVID-19 pandemic).
Number of people trained
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Health care professionals in low-resource settings who receive continuing education, train the trainer courses, professional support and/or consultation on academic programs and curricula development.
Number of volunteer assignments
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total # of in-person assignments. This # is typically higher than the # of volunteers as many individuals complete more than one assignment per year. (NOTE: pivot to online in 2020 due to COVID-19)
Number of projects
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Total # of projects, across all program areas (18 of these, defined by different health specialties) in around 25+ countries. (NOTE: 2020 - Online projects only. In-person suspended due to COVID-19).
The in-kind value of time donated by volunteers (reported in $USD)
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Calculated based on the USG Bureau of Labor & Statistics and Payscale estimates of average hourly rates for various health care specialties. HVO's estimates based on a 5 day work week, 8 hr/day.
Number of international partners/collaborating institutions
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
HVO partners and collaborates with an international institution on the development, management, monitoring & evaluation of each project. International partners are typically hospitals or universities.
Number of professional association sponsors
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Decreasing
Context Notes
Health professional associations who sponsor and support HVO in the development of projects within their specialty area.
Percent of on-site coordinators from our international partnering institutions who report improvements in staff skills as a result of HVO's training
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Collected from annual surveys administered to on-site coordinators for each project. (NOTE: this reflects in-person training and in-person training suspended in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic)
Percent of repeat volunteers
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
HVO Teaching & Training
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The percent of volunteers each year who completed their second (or more) assignment with HVO.
Number of hours of online training, education and mentorship.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
The number of hours of online teaching, training and mentorship provided by volunteers to our partners and colleagues abroad.
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?
HVO envisions a world where all people have access to expert health care delivered by local health professionals.
Health professionals, especially those based in resource-scarce countries, are on the front lines in meeting public health needs and fighting against public health threats, such as epidemics. They provide essential education to patients in the prevention and treatment of disease and help communities cope with the effects of climate change, conflict, and other large-scale threats to population health. We must accelerate the exchange of knowledge between practicing providers and support those in training to ensure that all communities have access to timely and effective health services.
To help realize this vision, HVO invests in equitable, two-way and sustainable partnerships with over 75 health institutions world-wide. These partnerships focus on education - providing teaching, training and professional development opportunities to health professionals. The goal is not only to train new health care professionals, but also to encourage and to sustain professionals so that they can continue to practice in their home countries where their skills are most urgently needed.
HVO accomplishes its mission by sending highly qualified health care professionals on short-term volunteer assignments; offering scholarships for local health professionals to attend regional or international conferences or workshops; providing volunteer fellowships to support focused, long-term volunteer placements; and delivering virtual education and mentorship.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
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
- 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.
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.
HEALTH VOLUNTEERS OVERSEAS
Board of directorsas of 05/04/2023
Dr. Carla Smith
Stephen Schwartz
Nancy Kelly
Health Volunteers Overseas
Peter Curran
Vidya Swaminathan
Maureen Zutz
Richard Henker
James Tielsch
Stephanie Murphy
Carla Smith
Maura Fulton
Lisa Huang
Pam Maroulis
Ryan Fouss
Thomas Gellhaus
Gayle Lomax
Janna Beling
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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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