The Clinton Health Access Iniciative

For this paper, I have chosen the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) and their work in sub-Saharan Africa. Research for this paper was a mixed bag of results. The web had plenty of articles that were reports on how donations were gathered, and “feel-good” public relations stories. It a substantial amount of digging to finally get the main link – CHAI must work with an African countries’ local Ministry of Health. Without that partnership, all the knowledge and experience the CHAI has had building successful health care models are squandered.

For my resources, I contacted the Ebling Library, the Memorial Library via phone and they sent links that gave me a good start. My local Charleston, SC public library was also effective, providing books like Giving by Bill Clinton. The textbook for this course gave useful overviews, too. The most success came from online data bases, although one librarian suggested I call the Ethiopian Embassy in Washington D.C. which I did. I was told I’d get an email from the embassy, but didn’t.

I also called the CHAI headquarters in Boston four times, left three voice mails, and even enlisted my former record company president Jason Flom (who knows Bill Clinton personally) to get some informational traction! No calls or emails back from Boston (or the former president) for over a month and that fascinated me. I’d assumed that the CHAI would love to talk about their work. After an email that politely pointed me to their website, I dug around the CHAI database and used their .pdfs as a source. Finally, on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 I got a phone call from Sean Riley of CHAI, apologizing for the delay. He was apologetic and helpful. I’ve used his input here.

I thought most of the useful resource ...

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...e to contribute solutions to a critical problem like HIV/AIDS in a different, distant region. Being a crisis based NGO, CHAI has become an effective global actor by refining techniques for improvement, proving their efficacy and efficiency, and then sharing them with the host countries. By involving their power as a buyer for pharmaceuticals CHAI positively influence the local economies and reduce infection rates. By working with the MOH in the region of choice, CHAI are able to use technology to clear the path of most resistance: closing the treatment information gap between the rural and urban areas. By reducing the rate of HIV/AIDS infection and increasing lifespans, stigmas begin to fade. If it is drug cost reduction, data analysis, helping to remove stigmas or shrinking the digital divide, CHAI’s collaborative footprint in their chosen region is undeniable.