Mission Statement | Frequently Asked Questions | Annual Reports | Facts | Philosophy and Programs

Mission Statement

As a non-profit, charitable organization, Hope for a Healthier Humanity (HHH) is committed to assisting the developing nations of Latin America achieve improved healthcare delivery. HHH supports health agencies, governments, NGOs and individual managers and healthcare providers, as they strive to utilize their existing resources in the most efficient and economical way.

HHH is committed to the belief that education is key to achieving sustainable change, and accordingly focuses on the development of bilateral international educational programs and exchange opportunities for medical, dental and nursing students, studying both in the United States as well as abroad.

HHH is further committed to mobilizing professional volunteers in all of its activities, thereby reducing the direct costs of providing assistance to our Latin American brothers and sisters.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Question: Who is HHH?

Answer: HHH, a non-sectarian IRS authorized 501(C)(3) public charity, was incorporated in the State of New York in November of 2001.  HHH was created to provide didactic and clinical education and training to medical, dental and nursing students and other healthcare providers in developing countries throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, as well as provide its international partners with donations of medicine, medical and dental equipment and supplies and academic linkages with U.S. based schools of higher medical, dental and nursing education.  HHH is committed to achieving sustainable improvements in the levels of healthcare available to the poorest of peoples living throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.

2. Question: What makes HHH different from the many other charitable organizations focusing on international healthcare?

Answer: While HHH is a direct service provider, engaging in international medical, dental and nursing mission trips to various countries in the Caribbean and Latin America, it does so only as part of an overall strategy which targets improved healthcare educational and clinical training. While HHH does actively solicit donations of medicines and medical/dental equipment and supplies, and ships these items as overseas freight to the Caribbean and Latin America, it does this only to those sites where HHH has an ongoing educational program in place or plans to implement one in the near future.  The supplies are intended to be utilized as part of the overall educational and clinical training project.  HHH is additionally very scrupulous in ensuring that these donations are properly received, disbursed and utilized by the recipient countries.

3. Question: Are there any particular areas of focus for HHH and its programs?

Answer: Yes. HHH is particularly concerned about two targets: the medical, dental and nursing education of the peoples of the Caribbean and Latin America, as pertaining to the overall health of women and children and those at high risk of poor health; and secondly, community health education and advocacy, targeting the prevention of the spread of communicable diseases. Within the category of women’s and children’s health, not surprisingly there is a concentration on maternal and newborn services. Community health projects stress the control of the spread of tuberculosis(TB), HIV and AIDS. The projects which HHH undertakes reflect these focal areas.

4. Question: Does HHH have any formal partner(ship)s?

Answer: Yes.  HHH works closely with the Global Health Council, The Fulbright Academy of Science & Technology, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), AmeriCares, Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), The College of New Rochelle, the New York Medical College, the Mt. Sinai Medical School (New York), North General Hospital of New York, the North shore - Long Island Jewish Health System, MAGNet Missions (Ohio), the Kettering College of Medical Arts (Ohio) and the School of Osteopathic Medicine at Ohio University. HHH firmly believes in establishing partnerships and will continue to seek out additional linkages.

5. Questions: What does HHH mean when it speaks of “partnerships”?

Answer: HHH works with medical, dental and nursing schools as well as hospitals and health systems throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.  Once trusting and substantive relationships are developed with such a pan- American organization, HHH then seeks to locate an appropriate partnering organization within the continental United States.  Having done this, HHH develops various programs and projects which facilitate the bilateral exchange of students, faculty, researchers and other personnel, to the mutual benefit of both partners.  Formal affiliation agreements are developed and entered into, delineating the responsibilities and privileges of both parties, and HHH continues to serve as facilitator and liaison for these partnerships.

6. Question: With an annual cash budget of approximately $400,000, how can HHH hope to make a substantive difference?

Answer: HHH operates on an extremely tight budget which is monitored very carefully.  The 2008 financials of HHH indicated that over 95% of all the income went directly to services and programs, leaving less than 5% for organizational overhead and operations. The vast majority of HHH clinical and educational services and programs are provided by volunteers who are committed to the mission and goals of HHH.  The operations of HHH are coordinated by its Executive Director and staff in various  “home offices” using telecommunication and internet technology and as a result, administrative overhead is minimal.  Legal, medical, nursing and other health consultants provide pro-bono support.  Overseas freight is stored at a Newark based warehouse facility which provides pro-bono space and Maersk Sealand carries all of  HHH’s cargo at “less than cost”.  However, HHH must address its needs for more staff and must locate funds to support the reimbursement of critical program and support staff if it is to sustain its activities in the future. 

7. Question: How does HHH raise funds?

Answer: HHH executive staff devotes a great deal of time to fund raising.  In each of the years 2002 through 2008, over 60 grant applications were submitted to various foundations, corporations and/or governmental agencies. In addition, an annual mail solicitation takes place in December and an annual fund raising Humanitarian Dinner and Charity Auction are held each September-October. These efforts are extremely important ways to secure funds and as a result, these efforts will continue.  Additionally, HHH actively solicits donations of pharmaceuticals from the major drug companies of the US as well as seeks their financial support in the form of underwriting expenses associated with educational conferences and medical and dental mission trips. Finally, HHH relies upon the donations of medical and dental equipment and supplies from hospitals, private practitioners and healthcare systems around the country. These invaluable partners collectively supplied HHH, and as a result numerous countries throughout the developing world, with over $2.5 million in contributions of medicine and medical and dental equipment and supplies in 2008.

8. Question: Who are the major donors of grants to HHH?

Answer: The National SEIU Health Workers Union, the New York State Department of Health, Catholic Bishops in the United States, Catholic Relief Services (CRS), the USAID Mission in Honduras, PAHO, the Raskob Foundation, The Hilton Family Foundation, the Rudin Family Foundation, the Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation, the Sunshine Lady Foundation, the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation, the Joyce Foundation, the McCaddin-McQuirk Foundation, the Independence Community Foundation, John Hancock, JPMorganChase, Mutual of America, the Catholic Communal Fund, the Richmond County Savings Foundation, The Dolores and Russel Taylor Foundation, the Pierre Fauchard Academy, the William O’Neil Foundation, the Loyola Foundation, The Carso Institute for Health (Mexico) and the Daniel Lufkin Foundation.                     

9. What are HHH’s immediate needs for 2009?

Answer: Each year HHH needs to raise approximately $300,000 from private donors, foundations and organizations/corporations to match and/or supplement the various grants and contracts held by HHH in collaboration with major supporters.  HHH also must raise additional funds to cover all of its non-program related overhead expenses. 

The funds raised by HHH will be used to:

A. Continue  programs of overseas freight of medical and dental equipment.
B. Cover expenses associated with bilateral international exchanges of medical dental and nursing students from US and Latin American schools.
C. Continue medical, dental and community health mission trips and educational training programs.
D. Cover general operating expenses.          

Annual Reports

Click To Download Annuals Reports in PDF Format
 You will need Acrobat Reader

HHH 2008 Annual Report

HHH 2007 Annual Report
HHH 2006 Annual Report
HHH 2005 Annual Report

Facts

1. Hope for a Healthier Humanity (HHH) was incorporated in New York State in early 2001 as a charitable, not-for-profit corporation.
2. In of November 2001, HHH received an IRS provisional designation as a 501(c)(3) tax exempt charity.  Final determination from the IRS was received in May of 2006.
3. In 2003 HHH was certified by USAID as a Private Voluntary Organization (PVO).
4. In 2004 HHH was awarded by USAID a two year grant for Overseas Freight Reimbursement (OFR) and has reapplied (December 2007) for an additional two years’ grant support.
5. In 2008 HHH shipped over $1.6 million in donated medical, dental and health-related supplies and equipment to 12 countries throughout South and Central America and the Caribbean, and additionally hand-carried over $1 million in medicines during its many medical and dental brigades.
6. In 2008, HHH received volunteer assistance valued in excess of $380,000, with an additional $100,000 of in-kind contributions from legal, auditing and shipping companies.
7. With a cash budget of approximately $411,000 (2008) and an in-kind budget of over $2.03 million in goods and services, HHH has a salaried staff of 2.6 employees and spends less than 5% of total revenues on administration and overhead.

Philosophy and Programs

1.

HHH believes that if sustainable change is to be achieved in the healthcare delivery systems throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, formal didactic and clinical education and training of their medical, dental and nursing students, personnel and practitioners must be improved. 

a) Accordingly, HHH will not engage in any medical, dental or nursing in-country activities (brigades or mission trips) without incorporating a strong component of formal education in each program. 

b) The strengthening of local capital infrastructure and facilities’ capacity is a major focus for HHH.
2.

The development of formal educational exchange partnerships between US based medical, dental and nursing schools and reciprocal institutions throughout the Caribbean and Latin America is a priority for HHH.  These partnerships support the bilateral international exchange of students, residents and faculty for cross-cultural training and enhancement of the didactic and clinical experiences for all participants.

a) HHH currently works with The College of New Rochelle (NY), North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System (NY), the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine (NY).

b) International partners include medical schools and health systems in Uruguay, Mexico, Honduras, the Dominican Republic, Panama and El Salvador.
3.

HHH believes that basic community health education and elementary medical, dental and nursing care are essential in rural areas of the Caribbean and Latin America.  As a result, HHH has developed and implemented a highly successful program of training women from rural areas where there is no formal or organized healthcare delivery.  These women are trained to deliver healthy babies and become community health advocates and educators in their villages and towns.  Focus is placed on prevention of communicable diseases, maternal and child care and prevention of HIV/AIDS.

a) The program has been offered in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008.

b) Over 250 “Promotores de la Salud” have been formally trained by HHH, representing participants from Panama, El Salvador and Honduras.

c) A new program, targeting the reduction of maternal mortality in the Dominican Republic is planned for 2009.

d) The training program began in Mexico (Quintana Roo State) in August of 2008.
4. Each year HHH convenes a Pan-American international healthcare dialogue, which is an invitational meeting for healthcare leadership from throughout the Caribbean and Latin America.  In April of 2009 the Ninth Annual Pan American Healthcare Dialogue was held in Honduras.  Representatives from 11 countries, including the United States and the Holy See (Vatican City) attended and engaged in substantive discussions, enabling HHH to establish its future goals for 2010-2012, as well as enabling the participants to interact with each other and develop strategies of collaboration and exchange of ideas and initiatives.
5. Major domestic donors of medicines and medical/dental equipment and supplies to HHH include REMEDY programs at major hospitals and medical centers throughout New York, New Jersey and Ohio; Catholic Relief Services, AmeriCares, select pharmaceutical companies including Ortho-McNeil, Biogen, Genentech and Ethicon; home care agencies in New York and New Jersey and private foundations and corporations.