our beneficiaries

The Ride for World Health 2009 beneficiaries are Esperanca. and Village Health Works.

Esperanca

Health and hope for the world's poor.

Esperanca

Founded in 1970, Esperança functions to serve some of the poorest communities in the world. One of the pillars of Esperança’s success is their partnership with community members, training and educating individuals to empower them with the knowledge necessary to initiate lasting change in their community.

Currently Esperança is operating four worldwide projects – Bolivia, Nicaragua, Mozambique and the Golden Gate Community Center in Phoenix Arizona. These projects work to battle disabling and deadly parasitic disease, work side by side with local residents to install filters for clean water and institute midwifery training programs aimed at decreasing maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. They also combat illness and poverty here in the US by working hand-in-hand with Arizona’s Children Association to provide activity-oriented day and summer camps for adolescents along with education and related workshops to an adult population with very limited resources and access.

Visit the Esperanca Web site

Village Health Works

Where there is health, there is hope.

VHW Clinic

Village Health Works (VHW) is a not-for-profit organization based in the US working to improve healthcare among the underserved population in Burundi East Africa. The world’s poorest country, according to World Bank’s 2006 Annual Report, Burundi is ravaged by extreme poverty. As a result of crippling government debt, Burundi’s public hospitals are fee-for-service institutions. The penalty for the many individuals unable to pay for necessary medical attention is enforced detention in guarded prisons.

"The vision of Village Health Works is based on the principle that all people, including the most oppressed and impoverished, are entitled to the highest standards of healthcare in their pursuit of happy and productive lives." VHW works with local community members to establish a sustainable and expandable model of healthcare, providing much needed medical treatment to all comers, regardless of ability to pay.

Visit the Village Health Works Web site