Our COVID-19 Response
Who leaders are and how they operate can be a matter of life and death for the communities they serve, especially during crises. GHC is mobilizing our network of leaders as a powerful antidote to the effects of COVID-19.
Leading Through COVID-19
COVID-19 continues to illustrate that all the medical and technology advances in the world aren’t enough to realize health as a human right for all.
Leadership is being revealed as the make-or-break lever for change that we at Global Health Corps have long believed it to be. Our diverse network of effective, connected, leaders are saving and improving lives during the pandemic. Unlocking their potential is key to preparing for future health crises.
Global Health Corps is amplifying the impact of our network of 1,100+ health equity leaders as they respond to COVID-19 and advance health equity around the world. They bring a wide range of perspectives, born from their nontraditional backgrounds and lived experiences with inequity, to the unprecedented challenges we face.
GHC fellows work on the front lines of COVID-19 response, gaining experiential learning and filling critical gaps within health organizations in Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia:
- 2021-2022 fellow Chikondi Kasamba oversees AMREF Health Africa’s COVID response project in Malawi, documenting impact, monitoring fieldwork activities, compiling reports, and updating databases to inform decision making.
- As a Software Project Manager for the Ministry of Health — Rwanda, 2021-2022 fellow Victor Abizeyimana creates and improves technological tools to track, respond, and set policy to address COVID-19 nationwide.
- 2021-2022 fellow Douglas Mang'anda leads onsite quality control assessment and mentorship within Malawi’s COVID facilities and in community settings. He supports healthcare workers to adhere to National Infection Prevention and Control guidelines to minimize risk.
- 2020-2021 fellow Mirriam Chisha Chimba spearheaded the integration of COVID-19 messaging into PATH’s social behavioral change communication (SBCC) materials on malaria elimination in Zambia.
- 2020-2021 fellow Gisele Ingenere, a Finance Program Coordinator at the Ministry of Health — Rwanda, managed a savings scheme for nurses, doctors, lab technicians, and paramedics to ensure healthcare worker retention across the country during the pandemic.
- Placed at Partners In Health Malawi, 2020-2021 fellow Revelation Nyirongo trained Community Health Workers on the Public Health Institute of Malawi’s COVID-19 tools, including case tracking and contact tracing in Neno and surrounding districts.
- At Lifenet International, 2020-2021 fellow Steven Twinomugisha co-led the development and rollout of a WhatApp-based platform to provide partner health facilities with real-time COVID-19 and other health information.
- 2019-2020 Uganda fellows Abiola Abu-Bakr & Moureen Asimire developed the National Preparedness and Action plan for COVID-19 for Mental Health Psychosocial Support with the Ministry of Health (MOH). They were also core members of the health promotion team managing all MOH communication with the public about the pandemic.
- At the National Health Research Authority in Zambia, 2019-2020 fellow Nsanzya Maambo developed the National Research Plan on COVID-19, facilitating research and clinical trials for vaccines.
- 2019-2020 fellow Emmanuel Mwanza, eHealth Officer at the Malawi Ministry of Health, spearheaded efforts to track deployment of Malawi’s systems and integrate them into the global database, Digital Atlas.
- At the Rwandan Ministry of Health, 2019-2020 fellow Emma Twagirumukiza coordinated the surveillance and response team's real-time linkage with 40,000 community health workers reporting on COVID-19 using their mobile phones.
GHC alumni are rising leaders who leverage the training and network GHC provides to make an outsized impact. We've supported them to respond to the pandemic around the world, including:
- Fellows and alumni across Malawi mobilized to provide PPE, train community health workers, and expand access to sanitation in response to COVID-19.
- In his role as Principal and Managing Director of MASS Design, where he was a 2011-2012 GHC fellow, architect Christian Benimana has been leveraging MASS’s expertise—along with ten subsequent sets of GHC fellows serving at MASS—in designing for infection control to advise Rwandan communities on ways to retrofit spaces for pandemic control.
- 2015-2016 fellow Tracy Kobukindo, a nurse and public health expert, recognized early in Uganda’s lockdown that pregnant women were trapped in their houses during delivery. In response, she organized midwives to geo-locate pregnant women and provide life-saving assistance.
- 2016-2017 fellow Michelle Korte advocated for more ethical COVID-19 vaccine trials in Africa.
- Alumni in Rwanda worked to strengthen supply chains to avoid disruption.
- 2015-2016 fellow Dinnah Nabwire worked to protect contraception access in her home village in northern Uganda.
- 2016-2017 fellow Arush Lal advocated for governments and health systems to address COVID-19 through the lenses of global health security and universal health coverage.
- 2016-2017 fellow Bevis Phiri reflected on lessons learned from COVID-19 in 2020 and weighed in on curbing the second wave in an interview with BBC Africa.
- 2014-2015 fellows Lonnie Hackett and 2013-2014 fellow Natalia Espejo were awarded the UBS Optimus Foundation COVID-19 Relief Grant Prize for their work spearheading COVID-19 communication initiatives at Healthy Learners in Lusaka, Zambia.
- 2014-2015 fellow Chad Noble-Tabiolo & his team at Color were finalists for the World Changing Ideas Awards 2021: Pandemic Response.
Through our Collective Action Coalition & Fund (CACF) Program, GHC provides funding, technical assistance, and programming support to teams of GHC alumni who identify pressing pandemic-related community health issues and design solutions to address them. Eight coalitions across East and Southern Africa and the U.S. have prototyped solutions, including:
- The Uganda Coalition is addressing the escalation of violence against women and girls as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and movement control measures. The coalition is working to empower vulnerable women and girls to take charge of their sexual and reproductive health needs, access medical and sheltering assistance for survivors of gender-based violence, and develop livelihoods and resilience plans.
- The U.S. (NYC) Coalition is working to mitigate the lack of accessible and culturally sensitive information which creates barriers to comprehensive health and social services in underserved communities. Linking vulnerable populations in NYC to the support they need during the pandemic, the coalition is providing up-to-date information on available resources using a text-based communication platform.
- The Rwanda Coalition is raising awareness on the need for and lack of access to mental health services for individuals affected by COVID-19. They are implementing a policy review of existing laws which limit access to mental health services, a needs assessment, and story banking. This effort is working to provide greater evidence of the mental health impact of COVID-19 on the population and advocate for legal improvements to allow for greater access to mental health services for all Rwandans.
- Zambia Coalition members are addressing low adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures such as handwashing, sanitizing, masking and social distancing, among users and operators of public transport in Lusaka. Partnering with local community-based organizations through a consortium, Lusaka Helps, and working directly with the Lusaka transit authority, the coalition is developing a training and training-of-trainers and sensitization and communications materials to train bus drivers and transit post staff at bus terminals to address the barriers to adherence among travelers from the capital to rural communities. They are also providing PPE materials including masks, thermometers, handwashing stations and disinfectants for drivers to protect transit workers and patrons from COVID-19.
- The Malawi Coalition set out to address lack of adherence to COVID-19 prevention protocols in their community. Following a human-centered design process to identify the most pressing issues, they conducted trainings at a local primary school and women's centers in the rural community of Bunda. During these workshops, they taught students, staff, and community members how to sew face masks and produce soap using locally available resources. Even as schools reopened in Malawi, many children were unable to return to school because they couldn't afford PPE required to attend.
We have adapted our program during this time of upheaval and implemented new policies and protocol to keep our staff, fellows, and alumni safe and support their, including:
- Pausing our 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 international fellowship roles and expanding our national fellowship roles to meet the changing needs of our partner organizations.
- Pivoting to virtual programming for fellows, alumni, and our broader community, including a new Shift Happens Speaker Series and more robust programming at the intersection of racial justice and health equity.
- Intentionally upholding our commitment to our values and staying connected to each other and our mission even as staff have been working remotely throughout the pandemic.
Armed with an equity lens and a deep understanding of systems, GHC fellows and alumni are the leaders the world needs to recover from COVID-19 and meet future health crises with solidarity and strength.
COVID-19 is far from over. Support GHC’s 1,100+ health equity leaders as they respond to the pandemic and strengthen health systems across East and Southern Africa, the U.S., and beyond.