500 Main Street PO Box 429 New Windsor, MD 21776 • 1-877-241-7952 • www.imaworldhealth.org

ADVANCINGNews from IMA World Health • Fall 2014

ADVANCING

ALSO INSIDE THIS EDITION• ASSP Project constructs new health centers

• IMA revolutionizes bed net accountability

• Urging the NFL to tackle domestic violence

IMA supports the Christian Health Association of Liberia to provide protective equipment and training

STOPPING EBOLA

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IMA WORLD HEALTH • ADVANCING

ADVANCING is published four times per year by IMA World Health, a nonprofit organization providing essential health care services and supplies to people in need in developing countries.

IMA World Health is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with the Internal Revenue Service. All contributions are tax deductible as allowed by U.S. law.

Phone: 877-241-7952Email: imainfo@imaworldhealth.orgWeb: www.imaworldhealth.orgMail: 500 Main St., P.O. Box 429, New Windsor, MD 21776

The following contributed to this edition of ADVANCING:Jennifer Bentzel Emily Esworthy Samantha Dellinger

Christopher Glass Cristina KeplingerCrystal Stafford

ADVANCINGVolume 6, Number 4 • FALL 2014

Cover: Health workers don protective gear to collect the body of a man suspected to have died of the Ebola virus in Monrovia, Liberia. (AP PHOTO/ABBAS DULLEH)

IMA responds to NFL domestic violence incidents

Because of our work to end sexual and gender based violence through the USHINDI Project in Eastern Congo and WeWillSpeakOut.US in the US, IMA has a special imperative to speak out against violence.

When a video was released in Septem-ber showing a Baltimore Raven knocking his fiancee unconscious, IMA took action. We called, via a letter published in the Baltimore Sun, for the Ravens to reinvent their weekly “Purple Friday” spirit day by incorporating the purple domestic violence awareness ribbon. Through this

campaign, they could distribute infor-mation about services for victims and con-tinue the dialogue about violence.

IMA and WeWillSpeakOut.US joined forces to promote the campaign, advocat-ing for fans to use the hashtag #nevermore on social media to say even one more victim is too many.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1 in 3 women in the U.S. will experience sexual violence, intimate partner violence or stalking.

Dear Friends,It’s a busy season for IMA. In addition to managing our regular programs to fight disease and strengthen health sys-tems around the world, we’ve recently taken on new ways of advancing health, healing and well-being.

The public health emergency on everyone’s minds today is Ebola. IMA is responding to the outbreak by support-ing the Christian Health Association of Liberia (CHAL), a network of 45 member institutions comprising churches, faith-based schools and health facilities. While emergency assistance is not one of IMA’s core areas of focus, we do specialize in building the capacity of local partners and strengthening health systems. Our Ebola response actu-ally does just that: it equips CHAL with the supplies and support it needs to manage the situation on the ground, and it empowers local health workers with equipment and education. So while Ebola is a bit different for us, in a way it’s “business as usual.”

Similarly, we’ve recently been vocal in the conversation about domestic violence in the US, particularly in relation to the NFL. IMA began responding to sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) as a core issue in 2010 in Eastern Congo through the USHINDI project. SGBV is a major public health concern, affecting people physically, emo-tionally and mentally. Whenever we talk about USHINDI, someone inevitably comes forward to tell us about how they or a loved one survived it. The massive scope of this epidemic led us to speak out against SGBV in our own backyard through WeWillSpeakOut.US, a US-focused coalition led by IMA.

Thank you for your support as we continue to seek ways to make our world a healthier place!

In partnership,

Rick

Visit WWW.IMAWORLDHEALTH.ORG and search for Nevermore to download and print this sign to hang on your office wall, locker or bulletin board.

President’s Message

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Improving Health in DR Congo, Brick by Brick

With cracked walls and a leaky roof, the Mama Wetu Health Center in DR Congo’s Kasai Occidental province was too worn and too small to meet the needs of the surrounding com-munity. After adding up the cost of needed repairs and renovations to bring it up to standards, the UK Aid-funded ASSP Project determined that it would cost about 20% less to build a brand new health center than to renovate.

Construction of the new Mama Wetu Health Center broke ground in February 2014, launching the first of 200 new health centers that the Access to Primary Health Care Project (ASSP) will build over the next four years. The ASSP Project will also undertake 125 major (<$30,000) and 125

minor (<$10,000) health center rehabilitations, while building two new referral hospitals and renovating 54 others.

To make this task more manageable, IMA Country Director Dr. Larry Sthresh-ley and IMA architectural consultant Antonio Martinez collaborated with the national Ministry of Health, a Congolese architect and an engineer to develop an official design for all newly constructed health centers throughout the country.

The building materials for each health center were carefully considered, with financial and environmental stewardship in mind. As Martinez and a local crew dug the new foundation for Mama Wetu, they set the soil aside for making their own bricks. Martinez says

making the bricks onsite and letting them air dry elimi-nates the need to cut trees for firewood, avoids the economic and environmen-tal footprint of transporting bricks long distances, and at some sites reduces costs by using less concrete.

Each health center will also be equipped with a rainwater cistern and a solar panel system for electric-ity. During installation, the ASSP team will train 12-15 local people to install, operate, and maintain these systems — adding layers of accountability and capacity for its ongoing maintenance and care.

Brick by brick, health center by health center, the ASSP Project is making visible progress to improve health in DR Congo.

IMA Revolutionizes Bed Net Distribution and AccountabilityThis summer, the ASSP team distributed 3,000 treated malaria nets in Nyanga, DR Congo — a pilot project to test the distribution methods and, most importantly, a new method of using cellphones to capture GPS coordinates and photos of every household receiving a net.

To date, IMA has trained over 40 commu-nity volunteers, doctors and other staff on cellphone usage and Open Data Kit (ODK) software in Nyanga. Following the pilot distri-bution, the ASSP team plotted the data into an interactive map. By clicking on a point on the map, the viewer can see the name of the recipient, a photo of the recipient and/or the net, and the number of nets installed in that household.

IMA believes this new technology is not only setting a new standard for IMA as we continue distribution in 8 other health zones, but also the bed net community at large — creating a new level of transparency and accountability.

To view the map, visit WWW.IMAWORLDHEALTH.ORG/BLOG.

Architect Antonio Martinez (center) helps a crew unload the brick machine at the Mama Wetu building site.

Each point on the map represents one of the households where the ASSP team installed nets in Nyanga, DRC. Viewers can click on a point to see a picture of the recipient and/or the net installed.

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A GIFT TODAY CAN HELP STOP EBOLAIMA is responding to the growing Ebola Crisis in Liberia and YOU can help.

IMA is providing necessary equipment to keep health workers safe while treating patients infected with the Ebola virus.

Make your gift today at WWW.IMAWORLDHEALTH.ORG/EBOLA.

IN BRIEF SOUTH SUDAN — IMA is re-sponding to several reported cases of kala azar or vis-ceral leishmaniasis, a deadly neglected tropical disease. Working with WHO, Medecins Sans Frontieres and other partners, IMA is conducting an assessment of the current outbreak in Jonglei and Upper Nile states, procuring drugs and diagnostic tests, and training health workers.

OREGON — In partner-ship with WeWillSpeakOut.US members Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon and the Spiritual Alliance to Stop Intimate Partner Violence, in September IMA CEO Rick San-tos presented the Broken Si-lence report to Portland-area clergy as part of a panel titled, “What Religious Leaders Don’t Know about Domestic and Sexual Violence (and why it matters).”

DR CONGO — IMA Malaria Program Consultant Crystal Stafford recently conducted a media campaign titled, “Life is Beautiful.” Her goal was to change the perception of how the world sees DRC. Instead of focusing on atrocities and lives lost, her #lifeisbeautiful series highlighted the beauty and resilience of the Con-golese culture. Look for her photos on Facebook and the IMA blog.

NEW WINDSOR — IMA was recently awarded the USAID-funded AIDSFree project, to be led by JSI. The purpose of the project is to support and advance implementation of PEPFAR by providing capacity development and technical support to USAID missions, host-country governments, and HIV implementers at local, regional, and national levels.

IMA works to stop the spread of EbolaWith financial support from IMA Member Agencies Lutheran World Relief, American Baptist Churches USA, Week of Compassion, and Church of the Breth-ren, IMA is providing management support to our long-time partners at the Christian Health Associa-tion of Liberia (CHAL) as they respond to the deadly Ebola epidemic.

CHAL is working closely with the Liberia Ministry of Health to train health care professionals, commu-nity health volunteers, and religious and traditional leaders on the key facts about Ebola. CHAL is also

engaged in the procurement of personal protective equipment (PPE) for health workers, along with the training on its proper use to prevent contamination.

There is a great need of funds to address the critical shortage of PPE for health workers and conduct prac-tical trainings on how to use the equipment and care for patients infected with the Ebola virus.

Donate now at WWW.IMAWORLDHEALTH.ORG/EBOLA.

A health worker is sprayed with disinfectant a prevention against the Ebola virus, in Monrovia, Liberia. (AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh)