Global Health

Global Communities helps people get the health care they need, in ways that work for them, so individuals and families can live healthier lives.

Health is shaped far beyond the walls of hospitals and clinics. It’s defined by the environments people live in, the food they eat, the safety they feel and the power they hold to influence decisions that directly affect them.

These conditions are often disrupted by conflict, climate shocks, and poverty — challenges that can mean the difference between a child surviving or not. Still, communities have made measurable strides: since 2000, maternal deaths have dropped by 40%, and more than 100 million additional children have lived to see their fifth birthday. This progress is rooted in resilient health systems and community-led solutions, the type of work that Global Communities excels at.

From our domestic Healthy Start initiatives to our expanded global health portfolio, strengthened by the integration of IntraHealth International’s global health expertise, we are committed to protecting these hard-won gains and going even further.

Backed by decades of experience and implemented with a range of local and global partners, our core programmatic areas include maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, family planning, HIV/AIDS, non-communicable diseases, water, sanitation and hygiene, global health security, climate-related health threats and health workforce development.

Our approach is grounded in

Strengthening local health care

so it truly serves the community by putting people first, especially women, children, and those most at risk.

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Strengthening local health care

so it truly serves the community by putting people first, especially women, children, and those most at risk.

Enhancing the systems behind health

from clinics and supply chains to trained providers — so they can serve their communities, adapt to crisis and change, all while building the foundation for lasting well-being

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Enhancing the systems behind health

from clinics and supply chains to trained providers — so they can serve their communities, adapt to crisis and change, all while building the foundation for lasting well-being

Supporting frontline health workers

Ensuring frontline health workers like nurses, midwives, and community health workers have access to the skills, resources, and support they need to serve their communities with compassion and confidence.

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Supporting frontline health workers

Ensuring frontline health workers like nurses, midwives, and community health workers have access to the skills, resources, and support they need to serve their communities with compassion and confidence.

Using open-source digital tools

real-time data and analytical approaches to support the people at the center of our health systems

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Using open-source digital tools

real-time data and analytical approaches to support the people at the center of our health systems

Improve health policy

Linking with innovative partners, corporations, regional and local governments, and communities to improve health policy, accountability and seamless care built around individuals and families

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Improve health policy

Linking with innovative partners, corporations, regional and local governments, and communities to improve health policy, accountability and seamless care built around individuals and families

Featured Program

INSPiRE: Integrated Health Services in West Africa

Scenes of FP counseling sessions and and an implant insertion at the CSPS Dassasgho in Ouagadougou

In West Africa, limited access to quality care puts women and newborns at high risk during pregnancy and the first months of life. Through the INSPiRE project — implemented with IntraHealth International and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation — Global Communities is helping transform that reality.

The INSPiRE model integrates essential services for mothers, infants, and young children into a single visit, covering prenatal care, safe delivery, postpartum follow-up, immunizations, nutrition, and family planning. This streamlined approach reduces missed opportunities and makes care more accessible for women in remote areas.

Now active in more than 14,000 health facilities across eight countries, INSPiRE has already led to dramatic gains in family planning and well-baby visits. 

Resources

News

Gaining Ground on Cervical Cancer in Zambia

Timing is everything. Just ask Janny Zulu. The 52-year-old single mother of two recently found out she had a precancerous lesion on her cervix, putting her at great risk for cervical cancer. Still, fresh off the news of this diagnosis in January, she expressed gratitude for information she could act on, information once inaccessible to…

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Neglected No More: Uniting to Beat Devastating Diseases in India

One of the biggest challenges to beating neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) lies right in their name. Failing to communicate what they are, who they affect and how they can be prevented or treated keeps more than 1.5 billion people—in the poorest and most marginalized communities—at risk of becoming blind, disabled or disfigured. NTDs can also…

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Youth Form Alliances to Address Growing Mental Health Problems in Community

Youth from the Jardim Oliveira Camargo community in Indaiatuba / SP have recently designed a new project that aims to support residents who are suffering from depression and other mental and emotional illnesses. Priscila Santos and her longtime friends, Edson Guedes and Taylane Souza, were practically raised together in Jardim Oliveira Camargo. Over the years,…

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