From homes to hospitals, on rough roads and steep slopes, from capitals to rural communities, these moments in time give a glimpse of how PIHers around the world joined together this year to respond to COVID-19, continue lifesaving services across all of our health care areas, and show that health is a human right
Health workers with Socios En Salud, as PIH is known in Peru, work in full PPE to provide vital care and support in Lima. (Photo by William Castro Rodriguez for PIH)
In 2020, PIHers around the world joined in a unified fight against an unknown virus, visiting patients at homes, health centers, and hospitals, to provide care and social support as COVID-19 spiraled into a pandemic.
All the while, PIH teams continued their vital care in other areas of health, from maternal care to HIV treatment and more, ensuring that lifesaving services didn’t stop, and that critical resources continued to reach those who needed them most.
Through incredibly challenging times, this glimpse at PIH’s work around the world reflects an unshakeable solidarity in a year that separated us—and brought us closer together.
Sierra Leone
Dr. Marta Lado, then chief medical officer for PIH in Sierra Leone, has a solitary moment while putting on scrubs. (Jon Lascher / PIH) Evaline Ngigie, PIH midwife mentor at Koidu Government Hospital in Sierra Leone, holds a baby named Naphtal during the hospital’s celebration of World Prematurity Day, and of its new Special Care Baby Unit, opened just weeks prior. (Doug Miller / PIH)
Liberia
PIH Liberia staff work in May to clean and renovate Cape Palmas High School in Harper, Maryland County, to create a new quarantine center for COVID-19. Set up and operation of the center has been a collaboration between PIH and Liberia’s Ministry of Health, National Public Health Institute, and Maryland County Health Team. (Photo by Amy McLaughlin/PIH)
Rwanda
Trucks line up for cleaning and new drivers near the Rwanda – Tanzania border. Supporting governments’ interventions for safe crossings, screenings, and quarantine at international borders was one of many roles for PIH teams responding to COVID-19 around the world this year. (Photo courtesy of Inshuti Mu Buzima)
University of Global Health Equity
Sosina Dessalegn gave birth to her daughter, Lenova, one week after graduating from medical school in Ethiopia. She continued to raise Lenova with the support of her husband, Abel, as she went on to work for Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health, and when she began classes at the University of Global Health Equity in September 2019. Attending UGHE created unique choices this year for students, many of whom balanced parenthood and academics while facing tough decisions brought by COVID-19. (Photo by Nick Carney / UGHE)
Lesotho
Dr. Melino Ndayizigiye (right), executive director of PIH in Lesotho, enters the new oxygen plant at PIH-supported Botsabelo Hospital in Maseru, Lesotho’s capital, in December. Behind him is Lesotho Minister of Health Motlatsi Maqelepo and, at left, Advocate Lesimole Moletsane, deputy principal secretary for Lesotho’s Ministry of Health. (Mpho Marole / PIH)
Mexico
Rusbin Gómez, 9, has been hard of hearing his whole life but received new hope with hearing aids this year, through support from Companeros En Salud, as PIH is known in Mexico. (Paola Rodriguez / Partners In Health)
Haiti
Staff with Zanmi Lasante, as PIH is known in Haiti, conduct a training on the use of COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests. Civic unrest and violence toward health care workers presented challenges this year for Zanmi Lasante, in addition to COVID-19, but the team continued its high-quality care and provision of health as a human right. (Photo courtesy of Zanmi Lasante)
Malawi
Abwenzi Pa Za Umoyo, as PIH is known in Malawi, opened a new integrated care facility this year, significantly improving space and services for patients with HIV and non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and more. (Funny Kamanga / PIH)
Kazakhstan
Dr. Merey Otepbergenova conducts a hearing test in the back of her personal vehicle in Almaty, Kazakhstan, as part of clinicians’ efforts to reach severe TB patients safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Courtesy of PIH-Kazakhstan)
Navajo Nation
Andrew Hale, experiencing homelessness at the time of this April photo in Gallup, N.M., received a negative COVID-19 test and PPE before his stay at St. Joseph’s Shelter in Gallup. Andrew spoke with COPE team members about the additional difficulty of navigating homelessness during a pandemic. (Robert Alsburg / COPE)Community Outreach and Patient Empowerment, or COPE, provided social support and access to care for people on Navajo Nation, which was hit hard by COVID-19 earlier this year. Here, a patient gets a COVID-19 test in April at St. Joseph’s Shelter in Gallup, N.M. At left is Dr. Valory Wangler from Rehoboth McKinley Christian Health Care Services. (Robert Alsburg / COPE)
Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative
Dr. Paul Farmer, PIH co-founder and chief strategist, said at the State House in April that he was grateful to join Massachusetts’ fight against COVID-19, citing the need for humane care and expert mercy. Behind him, left to right, are Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, and Gov. Charlie Baker. (Joshua Qualls / Massachusetts Governor’s Press Office.)
Immokalee, Florida
PIH partnered with the Florida Department of Public Health to train community health workers and serve the rural community of Immokalee in Collier County. These photos are from December and feature Kenneth Midoneck, lead community health worker with Healthcare Network, and Maria Plata, the network’s lead health promoter for southwest Florida. (Photos by Scott McIntyre for Partners In Health)
Lima, Peru
Socios En Salud, as PIH is known in Peru, provided essential support, care, and resources this year to residents in and around Lima, Peru. Home by home and door by door, SES health care workers made sure people had what they needed to quarantine safely, protect themselves and their loved ones, and access care for COVID-19 and every other area of health care that SES supports. (Photos courtesy of Socios En Salud)
PIH stands with sister organization, Zanmi Lasante, in strongly condemning the violent gang attack Posted on Sept 26, 2023 An armed gang opened fire inside the Hôpital Universitaire de Mirebalais, Haiti’s 350-bed teaching hospital, in the Read more…
Community-based mental health services crucial for accountability, trust, and holistic recovery Posted on Sept 15, 2023 From 2010 to 2020, substance use increased by 26% across Mexico—but access to treatment has lagged. In rural areas like Jaltenango, Read more…
How this machine has become a critical tool in providing timely diagnoses to patients Posted on Sept 14, 2023 The GeneXpert is a machine that tests clinical samples to quickly identify infectious diseases, such as Read more…
