Reflections of Impact Global Health Alliance Global volunteer Bess Smith
In 2009, I attended a talk by Impact Global Health Alliance Global’s Founder, Dr. Henry Perry, at Appalachian State University. I already had an interest in public health, but was inspired to learn more when I heard about the work that Impact Global Health Alliance was doing. Listening to Dr. Perry explain his vision of partnering with communities around the world to provide healthcare ignited an interest in the field that has continued ever since.
The statistics behind Impact Global Health Alliance’ work were, and still are, staggering to me. The second leading cause of death in children under age five is diarrheal disease, which is preventable with clean drinking water and proper sanitation (like washing your hands with soap). Impact Global Health Alliance has halved child mortality in communities in Guatemala, Liberia, and Bolivia by empowering community leaders and incorporating lifesaving health education through home visits and care groups.
After Dr. Perry’s inspirational talk in 2009, I tried to incorporate my interest in global health into everything I could. I wrote papers on community development in my English classes, mapped tuberculosis in Africa for geography projects, and traveled to the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica on service trips over breaks from school. While in the Dominican Republic I contracted roundworms, and, while being “de-wormed,” I realized how lucky I was to have access to adequate medical treatment, when so many do not.
I now work in the Research Triangle Park and have more free time to volunteer and pursue my interests. I immediately thought of public health as a field I would love to volunteer in, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Impact Global Health Alliance was headquartered in Raleigh and was accepting volunteers! Since I began volunteering at Impact Global Health Alliance, I have learned a great deal about the inner workings of a global non-profit. I have seen the generosity of donors, and the hard work it takes to make Impact Global Health Alliance operate. At the Second Annual Hops for Hope event, I saw how passionate the Impact Global Health Alliance community is about their mission, and learned about their work with the Ganta Hospital in Liberia. In the office, I see the enthusiasm that the staff and volunteers bring with them every day to accomplish the dream Dr. Perry started in 1983. I am so glad I attended Dr. Perry’s talk in 2009, and so grateful that I am now participating in his vision of improving the lives of mothers and children in communities around the world.
