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Child Family Health International (CFHI) at a Glance
There is a plethora of organizations working toward the betterment of our world and the people living in it, however, they often do not get the attention or credit they deserve. So let’s shine a little spotlight on one and take a minute to appreciate others’ hard work and the power of teamwork.

Child Family Health International (CFHI) is a nonprofit organization that is focused on global health education. They offer education programs for individuals interested in global health and related careers. Here are three ways CFHI is working towards improving global health.

Educate Future Global Health Crusaders

CFHI offers education programs for students or volunteers to gain experience with the clinical practices, public health and social services in developing nations. They work within Latin America, Africa and India.

Participants of community-based Global Health CFHI programs can gain the valuable experience needed to build their resumes or earn college credit. CFHI offers more than twenty different programs in seven countries that work within and with the local community on projects like providing healthcare for underserved communities in the Himalayas to training midwives in Oaxaca.

Integrates into the Local Health Care Community

CFHI recognizes that there are already health care professionals and experts residing in the community they are working in and have partnered with existing health care providers. By utilizing local community leaders and health workers, CFHI helps support the development of opportunities for their international partners.

They invest in the continuing of their educations by offering scholarships for higher degrees and including locals in conferences and workshops. CFHI holds that students can learn not only from CFHI staff but also from those living in the communities they are working with.

Invests in Host Community

Students who participate in a CFHI education program pay a fee, which is common amongst study abroad experiences. However, unlike many other programs, CFHI invests half of a student’s fee back into the community they will be working and learning in. The invested funds work to bolster the economy of the countries CFHI works with and compensate the communities for their time, expertise and hospitality.

Brittney Dimond

Sources: Child Family Health International 1, Child Family Health International 2, GoAbroad.com
Photo: Flickr

GlobeSmart

Child Family Health International (CFHI), a nonprofit organization working to broaden students’ perspectives about global health and initiatives in community health, announced a partnership with Aperian Global on Aug. 23.

Aperian Global, one of the leading organizations in the world, focuses on assisting individuals and organizations to become more efficient at working on a global scale.

Specifically, CFHI will benefit from GlobeSmart, an online cultural tool developed by Aperian Global. Those who utilize the tool will be provided with information on how to effectively interact with people from all over the world.

GlobeSmart also includes the GlobeSmart Profile, a survey that gives users the ability to compare their preferred interaction styles with those of other cultures and colleagues. The tool then provides them with ideas on how to modify their behavior to be successful when interacting with global associates.

The partnership is substantial for CFHI because GlobeSmart will allow the nonprofit to better understand the culture of countries where its Global Health Education Programs take place.

The purpose of the programs is to understand how health and other policies work at the community level, allowing participants to be the ‘trenches’ of global health, in that they work with community-based clinical and public health delivery.

CFHI offers more than 30 programs in nine countries, including Bolivia, Ecuador, India, Uganda, South Africa and the Philippines. Since 1992, more than 8,000 have participated in the programs.

Matt Wotus

Sources: Benzinga, CFHI

Photo: Pixabay