VillageReach is a registered

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, Trust (business), trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of ...

that works with governments to solve health care delivery challenges in low-resource communities. Its headquarters are in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, with international offices in

Mozambique Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique, is a country located in Southeast Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west, and Eswatini and South Afr ...

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

, and the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. The VillageReach approach includes developing, testing, implementing and scaling new systems, technologies and programs that improve health outcomes. This is achieved by extending the reach and enhancing the quality of health care. The benefits are manifested through supply chain and logistics improvements, information and communication technology, human resources for health, private sector engagement and advocacy.

History

VillageReach was established after Blaise Judja-Sato, a telecommunications executive born in Cameroon, heard about a flood in Mozambique. The 1999 flood had caused the displacement of 500,000 people and severely damaged housing, infrastructure, and water and energy supply systems. Blaise was based in the United States in 1999 when the flood occurred, but he returned to Africa to aid in disaster relief. Judja-Sato raised $1.5 million for relief efforts in Mozambique and worked in collaboration with Graça Machel’s community foundation. The disruptions in Mozambique’s health system became increasingly obvious while aid efforts took place, especially in remote and rural populations, leading Judja-Sato to establish VillageReach to help those at the "last mile". VillageReach began its activities in Mozambique in 2001.

Funding

VillageReach funding comes from a combination of government and multi-lateral funders. Funders include

USAID The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an agency of the United States government that has been responsible for administering civilian United States foreign aid, foreign aid and development assistance. Established in 19 ...

UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...

, the

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American private foundation founded by Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates. Based in Seattle, Washington, it was launched in 2000 and is reported to be List of wealthiest charitable foundations, the third largest char ...

, the

Skoll Foundation The Skoll Foundation is a private foundation based in Palo Alto, California, Palo Alto, California. The foundation makes grants and investments intended to reduce global poverty. Billionaire entrepreneur Jeffrey Skoll created the foundation in 19 ...

, the Mulago Foundation, Vitol Foundation and others.

Effectiveness

Charity evaluator

GiveWell GiveWell is an American non-profit charity assessment and effective altruism-focused organization. GiveWell focuses primarily on the cost-effectiveness of the organizations that it evaluates, rather than traditional metrics such as the percenta ...

recommended Village Reach as a top charity, as assessed by impact, from 2009 to 2011 but then considered the charity to have limited room for extra funding and removed the charity from GiveWell's list of top-rated charities.

Awards

VillageReach and VillageReach employees have been recognized with several awards: * Bvudzai Magadzire, the senior technical advisor for research and advocacy in South Africa, was selected to join the 2019 class of the Obama Foundation Leaders: Africa Program. * WGHA announced VillageReach and Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands as winners of the 2018 Pioneers of Global Health Awards for Outstanding Collaboration. * VillageReach received an award from the Seattle Met "Light a Fire" awards for Acting Globally. * VillageReach won DREAMS Innovation Challenge in 2016. * Evan Simpson, former president of VillageReach, was featured as a Changemaker in GlobalWA July 2016 Newsletter. * VillageReach President Allen Wilcox was one of the 2014 Schwab Social Entrepreneurs of the Year. * Margarida Matsihne was awarded the 2013 Gates Foundation Vaccine Innovation Award for her contributions to vaccine delivery in Mozambique. * Allen Wilcox was awarded Microsoft Integral Fellow Award in 2012. * VillageReach was a 2009 Tech Awards Laureate for health. * VillageReach was a recipient of the 2006 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

References

{{Authority control Charities based in Washington (state) International charities Health charities in the United States Medical and health organizations based in Washington (state) 501(c)(3) organizations