VILLAGEREACH IS A NON-PROFIT SOCIAL ENTERPRISE THAT BELIEVES EVERY INDIVIDUAL DESERVES ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE. OUR MISSION IS TO SAVE LIVES AND IMPROVE HEALTH BY INCREASING ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTHCARE FOR REMOTE, UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES. WE COLLABORATE WITH GOVERNMENTS, COMMUNITIES AND OTHER GLOBAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS TO EXTEND THE REACH OF HEALTH SERVICES IN MEASURABLE, TRANSPARENT, SCALABLE AND SUSTAINABLE WAYS.

CHALLENGES AT THE LAST MILE. Globally, more than 4 billion people have little or no access to healthcare. The great majority – in sub-Saharan , South and East Asia, and South America – live in remote communities with weak infrastructure, often cut off from government and/or private health services. These regions account for a disproportionate share of worldwide deaths, many from preventable diseases which continue to kill 2.4 million children annually. The lack of access to healthcare for both prevention and treatment affects peoples’ ability to attain an education, acquire employment, and raise healthy families to improve their economic and social quality of life. Limited health system performance in remote communities can perpetuate poverty in the world’s marginalized communities. Improving the health and welfare of these communities requires more attention and resources be paid to strengthening the final segment or “last-mile” of health systems and the infrastructure that support them. Key last mile deficiencies result from the lack of support for frontline health workers, inefficiency of supply chains and other systems upon which these workers depend, weak information systems that could otherwise illuminate system performance, and missing local infrastructure needed to connect the final segment of the health system with central facilities and national infrastructure. Focusing on these key deficiencies is essential if we are to bridge the gap between quality health medical commodities and services, and the remote, underserved communities that need them most.

THE VILLAGEREACH APPROACH. Established in 2001, VillageReach has built deep expertise in improving health system performance at the service delivery level, where health services are provided. In remote, rural communities with limited power, transportation and communications, health workers find it challenging to address the needs of the large, distributed populations for which they’re responsible. In these settings, VillageReach serves as a catalyst to strengthen and improve the performance of health systems by applying a comprehensive approach that includes strengthening health service delivery, enhancing information systems, and investing in social businesses operated by the local community that provide the infrastructure needed to support the health system and other local activities. In each of these areas, VillageReach partners with governments, local communities and other non-governmental organizations to establish a foundation of support services to improve health system effectiveness and efficiency. VillageReach focuses its activities to achieve improvements in the following key areas:

INCREASE HEALTH WORKERS PRODUCTIVITY AND CAPACITY. Low- and middle-income countries face significant challenges in building and retaining a sufficient health workforce. Many of VillageReach’s activities are directed at increasing the productivity and job satisfaction of health workers by improving the support systems that provide management, training, supplies and infrastructure for this workforce.

IMPROVE THE EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY. Health systems in resource-constrained environments often struggle to deliver care to the most rural and remote villages where the need is greatest. VillageReach maximizes the effectiveness of healthcare by improving the reliability and cost efficiency of services provided, as well as, the safety and timeliness of commodities and medicines administered.

EXTEND THE REACH OF HEALTH SERVICES. The majority of low- and middle-income country populations live in rural areas with the least developed healthcare delivery infrastructure. By focusing on rural and community-based health services, and infrastructure improvement, VillageReach strengthens the health system overall, thereby expanding access and extending the reach and reliability of primary health services.

INCREASE TRUST IN AND USE OF HEALTH SERVICES. Over time, as healthcare quality improves, communities come to trust and rely on the health system, thereby improving the overall health of the community. By improving productivity, effectiveness and reach, VillageReach seeks to increase the communities’ use of and satisfaction in health services.

KEY INITIATIVES

NATIONAL EXPANSION OF DEDICATED LOGISTICS SYSTEM. Since 2002, VillageReach has worked to improve the distribution of vaccines, medical supplies and rapid diagnostic tests at the service delivery level in . Based on significant increases in fully vaccinated children, almost complete reduction of stock outs of vaccines, and cost-effectiveness of the distribution system, the Minister of Health recommended all ten provinces consider adoption of the distribution system. VillageReach is now providing technical assistance to four provinces to support implementation of the system. vrMIS, an open-source information management system built for the program, collects data on supply chain performance and is an integral part of the distribution and commodity management system.

COMMUNITY-LEVEL HEALTH SYSTEM STRENGTHENING. Since 2008, VillageReach has led a program to strengthen the health system at the community and health center levels in rural . The organization continues to build the capacity of community health workers, implement cost-effective interventions to reduce the incidence of malaria and diarrheal diseases, support immunization and other preventative health programs, implement community-based treatment programs, and improve communication systems between community health workers and health centers. This program has resulted in decreases in malaria and diarrheal diseases among children under-five and an increase in health seeking behavior and treatment uptake in the community.

CHIPATALA CHA PA FONI (HEALTH CENTER BY PHONE). Working with the Malawian Ministry of Health, VillageReach developed and implemented an information and communications technology (ICT) program to increase access to an essential package of maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) services. This program includes a case-management hotline for health advice and referral, and uses mobile phones to send personalized health messages to women regarding their pregnancy and the health needs of their children.

OPENLMIS. OpenLMIS is a global initiative to support the development of shareable, open-source solutions for electronic logistics management information systems (eLMIS). OpenLMIS acts as a repository for resources on requirements, system design and software solutions, with the goal to promote interoperability between systems and galvanize interest in a shared vision for effective, scalable and sustainable eLMIS solutions. Through the OpenLMIS initiative, VillageReach is currently developing a comprehensive, nationwide eLMIS for and .

VIDAGAS. In response to a critical lack of fuel to support the cold chain in Mozambique, VillageReach and Fundacao para o Desenvolvimento da Comunidade (FDC) established VidaGas, a Mozambique for-profit propane distribution company. While the business was established initially to supply remote health centers, the company has increased its scale to take advantage of additional markets. Today VidaGas is the largest propane distributor in northern Mozambique, shipping to health centers, residences, businesses and government agencies in four provinces.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Nelson Mandela, Honorary Board Member Michael Free, PhD, Vice President of Technology, PATH Graca Machel, Chair, FDC, Honorary Board Member Laura Herman, Managing Director, Global Health Karen Glover, retired Global Integration Partner, Practice, FSG Social Impact Advisors K&L Gates LLP, Board Chair Will Poole, Co-chairman, NComputing Alexandra Brookshire, retired Partner, Perkins Cole Paul Suzman, President, OfficeLease

LEADERSHIP Seattle Mozambique Allen Wilcox, President (and Board Director) Leah Hasselback, Country Director Emily Bancroft, Program Director, Health Systems Group Aida Coelho, National Program Officer Ron Pankiewicz, Technology Director, Information João Rodrigues, General Manager (VidaGas) Systems Group Malawi John Beale, Strategic Development Director Patrick Phiri, Project Manager Mike Kinney, Finance & Operations Director Jessica Crawford, Program Manager

SUPPORT The independent charity evaluator, www.GiveWell.org, lists VillageReach as a top-ranked charity for impact and cost efficiency. Past and present donors include the Rockefeller Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Barr Foundation, Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation, Mulago Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Bayview Foundation, BridgeWay Foundation, World Bank Development Marketplace, PATH, Mozambique and Dutch governments, Thomas Hunter Foundation, Flora Foundation, Getty Images, USAID, Vitol Foundation, May & Stanley Smith Foundation, Concern Worldwide, John Snow, Inc., and individuals from around the world. WWW.VILLAGEREACH.ORG 2900 EASTLAKE AVE E., SUITE 230, SEATTLE, WA 98102 USA, TEL: 1.888.373.0362, EMAIL: [email protected]