Compared to some health interventions such as buying a bednet, educating a new health worker requires a more significant upfront investment—but it’s an investment with wide-reaching and enduring impact.

In September 2010, IntraHealth teamed up with GlobalGiving.org to launch a new way of financing health worker education in Malawi—one that multiplies the value of small individual gifts to extend care to thousands of people through each newly trained health worker. With the help of more than 70 generous contributors to our microdonation campaign, we raised nearly $5000 to train new health workers in Malawi. This successful campaign has secured IntraHealth a permanent place on GlobalGiving’s website to continue to raise funds for this important work.  Please consider giving today to help us fund clinical officers’ tuition at the Malamulo College of Health Sciences, located in the rural area of Makwasa, Malawi.

GlobalGiving is a microfinancing website and internationally recognized marketplace for philanthropy that connects individual donors to causes they care about, and supports community-based projects around the world.

Why is funding tuition for health workers in Malawi so important?

• Shortages in the health workforce are a global problem. Countries must address the need for more health workers, especially in rural areas, to meet the growing disease burden of their populations and to meet the Millennium Development Goals. Malawi, in particular, faces a severe shortage of health workers.

• Out of the country’s 26 districts, four have no doctors and five have only one full-time nurse. With the help of funds raised through GlobalGiving.org, donations will go toward scholarships to train students to become clinical officers, the equivalent of nurse practitioners. Just $7,500 will pay for a student’s four years of tuition, including the crucial clinical practicum.

• In Malawi where only 54% of births are attended by skilled birth attendants and nearly a sixth of the population is living with HIV, training new health workers is critical to community survival and development.

Pooled together, microdonations have a big impact.

• $10 will fund learning supplies for a student
• $25 will fund all clinical and theory textbooks for a semester for a student
• $50 will fund equipment for a student, such as a stethoscope pr lab material
• $100 will fund a clinical internship for one student

Click to learn more and make a microdonation today!