How social entrepreneurs are driving local solutions to today’s global health threats

It’s been nearly two years since COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, and as we continue to face seemingly unrelenting challenges, it’s easy to focus on the negative. Millions of lives continue to be impacted, not only by COVID-19 but by disruptions to essential health services. New data from the World Health Organization, for example, suggests there were 14 million more malaria cases in 2020 compared to 2019, and two-thirds of the lives lost were linked to disruptions in malaria prevention efforts, diagnosis and treatment during the pandemic.

Despite these challenges, there is progress being made and communities around the world are bringing forth new innovations to helping tackle today’s global health threats – both known and unknown – and finding new and effective ways to combat infectious diseases.

Partnerships are a core part of our mission at The Pfizer Foundation* and this year, I’m proud to share that through our Global Health Innovation Grants – or GHIG as we affectionately call it – our next cohort of 20 grantees working in low- and middle-income countries will each receive $100,000 for community-based initiatives focused on combatting global health challenges, including infectious diseases.

As the program enters its sixth year, I’m also looking back at where it all started.

At Pfizer, innovation is the engine that drives us forward as we work every day to provide Breakthroughs that changes patients’ lives. By establishing the GHIG program, we sought to bring this innovative spirit to the forefront our philanthropic work as well.

Passionate social entrepreneurs have a critical role in creating locally driven solutions, particularly in resource-limited settings. They have a unique understanding of their communities’ needs and how to address them. The GHIG program aims to support these innovators by combining grant investments with technical support to help accelerate and scale up innovations that address global health challenges within and for their communities.

Five years later, it is one of the programs I hold closest to my heart. Since its launch, the Foundation has provided $11.5 million to support more than 30 partners that have helped to treat 2.7 million patients, provide life-saving screening and education for 1.3 million patients, train more than 10,000 healthcare staff and open nearly 700 new health centers around the world.**

In addition to the impact they are having, one of the things we’ve learned from the GHIG network is that community health workers are key. As trusted members of their communities, they are essential in reaching underserved communities and delivering effective services. You can learn more from four of our GHIG partners who recently spoke with Devex about how community health workers are making an impact in their communities, particularly during COVID-19.?

As another pandemic year comes to a close, I still find myself optimistic about what the future holds – in large part because of our inspiring GHIG partners who are advancing innovations that address today and tomorrow’s biggest health challenges, bringing equitable interventions to people who need them most.

You can learn more from four of our GHIG partners who recently spoke with Devex about how community health workers are helping make impact in their communities, particularly during COVID-19.

Afya Research Africa (Kenya); Care 2 Communities (Haiti); Equitable Health Access Initiative (Nigeria); Fundación Vive Con Bienestar - Bive (Colombia); Health Builders (Rwanda); Jacaranda Health (Kenya); Last Mile Health (Liberia); LifeNet International (Uganda); Living Goods (Kenya); Lwala Community Alliance (Kenya); Medic (Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nepali, Niger, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe); Muso (Mali); North Star Alliance (Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Mozambique, Zimbabwe); One Family Health (Rwanda); Patronato Pro Zona Mazahua A.C. (Mexico); Penda Health (Kenya); Reach52 (Cambodia, India, Philippines); Society for Nutrition, Education, and Health Action (SNEHA) (India); THINKMD (Nigeria, Somalia); Unjani Clinics NPC (South Africa)

*The Pfizer Foundation is a charitable organization established by Pfizer Inc. It is a separate legal entity from Pfizer Inc. with distinct legal restrictions.

**GHIG program outputs years 1-5 (2016 – 2021)