Volunteers Britta Harman & Lindsay Johnson boost the VSL program in Zandspruit

Lindsay and I arrived in Johannesburg on May 12th and will be working for Project HOPE until June 7th.  We are classmates at the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce and have been looking forward to coming here since December.   Britta, Tsholo, and Lindsay During our first week here we got our feet wet by observing and participated in the many components of this Project HOPE site. ...

Read More

Improving patients knowledge about how medications work

Most of our patients are on chronic, long term medication for their diabetes and hypertension and many of them have to take multiple tablets per day.   Adherence rates to these medications is very poor, often because patients are not empowered to understand what hypertension or diabetes is and what the medicine does to help them manage it. We often find that once a patient feels better, they stop taking the medication which can cause...

Read More

Be Open

Like a lot of volunteers, I did my research ahead of time. On the history, the climate, the healthcare system, the greatest challenges facing the poor.“I came open,” said one of my fellow volunteers. “Open to help, to do what I need to do, open to the experience.”Now that I’ve been at the HOPE Centre healthcare clinic located in Zandspruit, an informal settlement in Johannesburg, South Africa, I see that as the better approach. The HOPE Centre provides...

Read More

So different – or so the same?

I came to the Project HOPE Centre in South Africa thinking that I would not have much in common with the people I would meet here.  How could I?  We live half a world and an equator apart.  In less than a week on the ground, everything’s changed.For example, I noticed the young 20-something guys who have been working with our team are congenial and chatty, willing to tease and be teased.  They get along well with each other and...

Read More

Press Release - Project HOPE Welcomes Volunteers from Eli Lilly and Company for Two-Week Assignment at the HOPE Centre in South Africa

Project HOPE, a global health education and humanitarian assistance organization, yesterday welcomed ten employees from the global pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company  for a two-week volunteer assignment at  the HOPE Centre in South Africa.  The volunteers will provide assistance to the staff at the HOPE Centre in a variety of capacities, all in an effort to improve the quality of care at the clinic.   ...

Read More