Seventeen years old and at a boarding school far from home, Melino Ndayizigiye became so sick he feared he would die before his family learned of his illness. But he recovered, and the doctor who cured him—the first doctor Melino had ever seen—later became Melino's professor, launching a career dedicated to rural medicine.

Partners In Health stands in solidarity with global organizations and leaders calling for a “People’s Vaccine”—a vaccine that is made free and accessible to all people around the world. PIH leaders signed an open letter urging the incoming U.S. presidential administration to ensure that the vaccine, likely from among the candidates developed by American companies, is made available to all.

With PIH's support, states and municipalities battling COVID-19 are hiring and training residents as community health workers to connect patients and their families with care and support.

Compañeros En Salud, as Partners In Health is known in Mexico, works with nine rural communities in the coffee-growing Sierra Madre region of Chiapas. As part of that work, CES hires and trains local residents to serve as community health workers—especially crucial during the COVID-19 response.

Since Partners In Health launched its contact tracing partnership with the state of Massachusetts in April, contact tracers have made roughly 750,000 calls across the state—connecting COVID-19 patients with vital care and resources. In this multimedia feature, contact tracers share first-hand accounts.

Partners In Health leaders provide insights and expertise on the importance of local health systems in the global COVID-19 response, informed by PIH's work in Mexico, Lesotho and the U.S.

PIH Program Officer Sherry Bangura knows better than most what the convergence of Ebola and the current pandemic looks and feels like—not only is he helping lead the COVID-19 response, but he is also an Ebola survivor.

PIH Kazakhstan Country Director Dr. Yerkebulan Algozhin is among staff who have recovered from COVID-19 this year, and said facing a pandemic while continuing tuberculosis care has brought his team closer together - as they now prepare for a second wave of the novel virus. 

Each year, 10 clinicians arrive in Chiapas, Mexico to complete their social service year with PIH. This year's cohort will work in marginalized areas of this region, where access to health care is difficult and challenges have only intensified during COVID-19.