Vital

News & commentary about the global health workforce

Why Strengthen the Health System?

Think of the global progress we could make if we, as organizations, talked less and listened more. This came up again and again at SwitchPoint.

For HIV Counselors in Zambia, Work Hits Close to Home

Albert and Philip search the local churches, bars, schools, and markets, offering help to those who are at risk but often out of reach.

Can Creative Innovators Drive Global Health and Humanitarian Change?

Yes, they have and they are. And we saw it happen at SwitchPoint 2015.

West Africa Finally Starting To Embrace Family Planning

West Africa has the lowest modern contraceptive use and the highest fertility rate in the world. But the region is on the verge of change.

3D-Printed Hands, 3-Cent Maxi Pads, and More at SwitchPoint 2015

Development without dialogue just doesn’t work. Day 2 of SwitchPoint was all about partnerships for lasting progress.

Digital Jedis, Social Entrepreneurs, and the Real Heroes of Global Health

Hundreds gathered today in North Carolina for SwitchPoint, all looking for forces to join, partnerships to forge, and good to do.

Three World-Changers: Drones, Schools, and Sanitary Pads

Digital humanitarians, poverty-fighters, and more head to Saxapahaw, North Carolina, this week for SwitchPoint 2015.

US and Senegalese Investments in Family Planning Are Paying Off

A new Guttmacher Institute report shows the impact of US investment in family planning around the world. In Senegal, the benefits are clear.

World Health Worker Week 2015: A Catalyst for Further Advocacy

Last week we paused to honor frontline health workers everywhere.

Catching the Wave: Family Planning is Taking Off in West Africa

The modern contraceptive prevalence rate for all of sub-Saharan Africa is 23%. In West Africa, it’s 11%. But that's beginning to change.