International Medical Corps, A Global Relief Organization
There were many quiet voices that have been working diligently for many, many years amidst all the fanfare of the Clinton Global Initiative.
One of these quiet voices is Nancy Aossey, the President and CEO of International Medical Corps (IMC).
IMC is a relief and health care training organization founded in 1984 by Dr. Robert Simon who at that time was an emergency room physician at UCLA.
It began with the efforts of one doctor, and together with Nancy's leadership has grown into a global relief organization delivering over $100M in services globally to people living in crisis.
International Medical Corps' team of more than 4,000 doctors, nurses, and other professionals, works in 25 countries and regions worldwide. Operating in some of the hardest-hit areas, from Afghanistan to Somalia, IMC brings devastated communities back to self-reliance.
A member of the Clinton Global Initiative since its inception in 2005, International Medical Corps' CGI commitment this year is to train women from six sub-Saharan African countries to help bridge the health care worker gap by creating a women's health care network. Through the power that comes from the training of women, this initial investment will continue to reach thousands of people in the years ahead.
Last year, International Medical Corps made a commitment to raise $3.2 million to bring psychosocial and mental health programming into its health services in three tough working arenas: the Darfur-Southern Sudan-eastern Chad triangle, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda.
The success of this pledge can be seen in an innovative art therapy program done in conjunction with the National Geographic Society, where a unique photo camp in Uganda gave refugee children the chance to learn how to use a camera then take that newly-acquired skill to tell their individual stories.
This is an amazing story from one quiet voice. And yes, there are many other quiet voices that make the Clinton Global Initiative very special.