The Importance of Narrative: AMREF USA

sarahkassel — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:29:57 +0000

December 1 marks World AIDS Day, and in honor and recognition of AIDS prevention and treatment worldwide, today’s post will focus on AMREF USA. Based in New York City, AMREF is the world’s largest African Health organization. Spending 90% of funding on program expenses, AMREF USA is one of 12 offices worldwide that educate the public and funnel funding into AMREF’s work.

In regards to AIDS work, AMREF works on three levels to combat the virus in Sub-Saharan Africa, home to 60% of the population living with HIV. They do this by strengthening efforts to educate, manage and treat HIV/AIDS within the existing medical system.

With so many worthwhile and award-winning projects, AMREF should have some wonderful stories to tell. Yet, the pictorial, video and written accounts are buried and hidden withing pages of website text.

The story of George, one of AMREF’s community health workers, is fantastic. However, it takes some savvy site navigation to find it. The same goes for George’s corresponding video- a fantastic piece, yet a hidden gem:

Admittedly, my thoughts about the need to promote the stories within an organization come on the heel of a conversation regarding The Cluetrain Manifesto. We were discussing the need to incorporate, as the authors assert, the humanistic qualities into marketing approaches. One might argue that a health relief organization is as humanistic as an organization can be.

However, I think that true sucess in web 2.0 can be better attained in conversation and story telling. Let media pieces shine on the site. Open platforms for people to join the conversation. As noted in Cluetrain, and a decade in forethought, organizations need to allow for human and true conversation.

With these musings, I offer my hopes for AMREF and organizations worldwide who strive to combat and treat HIV/ AIDS. More to the point, I offer my thoughts to those suffering the virus, and those survived by a loved one with AIDS.

A Few Related Resources:

Directory of AIDS Charities and Support groups worldwide

A great prevention fundraising video by Avert.org:

Sustainability and Konbit Sante

sarahkassel — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:36:32 +0000

While not exactly an exercise in social media, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to mention Konbit Sante. Hinging on the conversation about Direct Relief International, Konbit Sante recently partnered with the latter nonprofit to offer hurricane relief in Cap-Hatien, Haiti.

I had the opportunity to work with this Maine-based organization as a project for a nonprofit public relations class, and it is too spectacular not to mention. Working within the Justinian Hospital system, Konbit Sante strives to sustainably improve health care in northern Haiti.

In a country where poverty, food shortages and poor health care spell fatality, Konbit Sante makes a difference. They are finding success in their development model, Konbit Sante-creole for “together for health.”

Check out the site, and find out more about the nonprofit’s efforts in one of the world’s poorest countries.

The Worldly Nonprofit, 2.0 » public health

The Importance of Narrative: AMREF USA

Sustainability and Konbit Sante