Partners in Health
In January 2026, a cohort of 30 Rwandans will celebrate nearly seven years of hard work as they receive their medical diplomas, marking the first graduating class of the University of Global Health Equity. This institution, created by the nonprofit Partners in Health (PIH), aims to combat medical disparities across Africa. The education offered at this university is a crucial step towards alleviating the severe shortage of healthcare professionals expected in Rwanda, as the World Health Organization predicts a shortfall of over 6 million medical workers worldwide by 2030.
“Our goal is to extend modern healthcare to those most in need, serving as a countermeasure to hopelessness,” explains Eric Hansen, senior director of external relations at PIH.
Addressing medical injustice has been the cornerstone of PIH’s mission since its establishment in 1987. In the 11 nations where it operates, PIH collaborates with governmental bodies to strengthen their healthcare frameworks, providing training for healthcare workers, supplying essential resources like medical equipment, and creating sustainable operational models for systemic improvement.
Additionally, PIH assesses the effectiveness of its care and disseminates its findings to other nations, sharing research and best practices to promote equitable healthcare access elsewhere.
“Our commitment to these nations is limitless,” states Hansen, “as we strive to assist them in delivering modern medical services to their populations, ensuring their right to health as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”
Real Change in Healthcare Inequities
PIH’s dedication to tackling healthcare inequity has led to profound changes worldwide. In 2021 alone, it facilitated over 58,000 safe childbirths and treated nearly 100 tuberculosis patients in Peru. Each year, PIH also addresses malnutrition in 2,600 children in Haiti and provides care to 44,000 HIV patients internationally.
As the graduates of the University of Global Health Equity emerge, they will take active roles in combating medical injustice by treating patients and training the subsequent generation of healthcare providers in Rwanda.
Good Store
During a visit to Sierra Leone in 2019, author and YouTuber John Green experienced the realities of medical inequity firsthand. He arrived in Kono, the center of the maternal mortality crisis, eager to understand and help.
“When we believe that those in poverty don’t deserve healthcare, we fail both morally and put the very future of humanity at risk,” asserts Green. “Every life holds equal value, and we must create systems that reflect that reality.”
Realizing the financial challenges associated with building these systems, John and his brother, Hank, launched Good Store, an e-commerce site that donates all profits to organizations battling medical injustice, offering products like socks, coffee, tea, and soap.
The brothers, who have achieved success in various fields prior to founding Good Store—including writing bestsellers and developing the vlogbrothers YouTube channel with nearly four million subscribers—find their most profound satisfaction in the fight against medical inequity.
“John and I have engaged in many exciting ventures and feel grateful for those experiences, but the traditional paths to motivation became less appealing over time,” Hank Green shares. “However, helping those in dire need and pursuing innovative approaches provides us with a new sense of purpose.”
A Pioneering Initiative
Since its launch in 2019, Good Store has raised over $8 million for organizations like Partners in Health (PIH), which actively fights against medical disparities. In 2021, PIH utilized some of these funds to establish the Maternal Center of Excellence, a facility aimed at enhancing maternal and child health services in Sierra Leone.
This facility aims to significantly decrease the risk of maternal mortality, which was 1 in 33 just a decade ago, in stark contrast to 1 in 3,400 in the United States.
Efforts to tackle this issue are central to the missions of both Good Store and PIH, which have already made strides in decreasing maternal mortality rates. By 2020, only 1 in 52 women in Sierra Leone were dying due to childbirth—a promising but ongoing challenge.
“The geographic disparities in life expectancy reflect a significant failure of our species, and we are committed to addressing this issue,” John commented.
Good Store’s initiatives extend beyond Sierra Leone; when John visited the construction of the Maternal Center in 2023, he noted that hundreds of local workers were acquiring new skills through their involvement. He shared in a vlog that an impressive 65 percent of the workforce comprises women, some of whom expressed that this initiative has united future mothers who will eventually give birth at this center.
Although the center is anticipated to open in 2026, the fight against medical injustice continues beyond its establishment.
“There will always be work to be done, and it will always be meaningful,” Hank concluded.
This article was first published in the January-February 2025 issue of up7op magazine (US edition).
