Photos / Videos

Women in Nepal who have survived trafficking and gender-based violence are often shunned and discriminated against. They have very limited resources and almost no means by which to support themselves. DOW and local partners are building sustainable access to medical and social services for women, empowering women to to build healthy futures.

The abandonment of children born to HIV-positive mothers is a disturbing yet increasing trend in Russia and Ukraine. The region faces one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in the world, and women of reproductive age represent a growing proportion of those diagnosed with HIV.

Between 1 and 3 million youth are estimated to live on the streets of Russia, without access to basic services. Max, one such youth, leads the cameras through the dark basement he shares with dozens of other street youth, as they use inhalant drugs to escape the cold, hunger, and abuse that they frequently endure. In St. Petersburg, Doctors of the World-USA (DOW) partners with the local government and NGOs to provide comprehensive medical and social services to street and at-risk children and youth, including drop-in centers and halfway homes that offer a safe and supportive environment.  The counseling, health care, education, support, and other services provided by DOW and our partners build hope for the future and offer an alternative to the dangerous lifestyle on the streets of St. Petersburg. 

People living with HIV and health workers in the rural West Pokot district of Kenya discuss the difficulties of accessing and providing health care, and the enormous strides that have been made since Doctors of the World-USA launched the first project in the district to build comprehensive and lasting access to HIV/AIDS services.

Doctors of the World-USA projects focus on the critical nexus between health and human rights. We fight injustice, disease, and epidemics as we build access to health care for all people, particularly the excluded and marginalized. Addressing health crises including HIV/AIDS and TB, women's health, orphans and vulnerable children, and survivors of human rights abuses, we are dedicated to developing lasting and sustainable solutions through capacity building efforts based on local partnerships, community mobilization, and advocacy.

The indigenous people of Chiapas – mostly poor, rural farmers who do not speak Spanish – have long suffered human rights abuses and poverty.  Isolated and discriminated against, residents have extremely limited access to health care and other services, resulting in deplorable health conditions.  Maternal and infant mortality rates are extremely high, one third of children under five suffer from malnutrition, and diseases such as tuberculosis are a deadly threat. Doctors of the World-USA is working to create access to care and and build the capacity of the Chiapas community to address their health needs through unique projects such as our nurse auxiliary program and our food security program.   

Meet the orphaned, abandoned, and disabled youth who inhabited Kosovo’s Shtime Institution in 2002 and watch their transformation through Doctors of the World-USA's Deinstitutionalization Project.  In response to the poor and inhospitable conditions of the institution, DOW launched a community-based home that would provide the youth with a warm and supportive environment in which they would access basic rights to health and education.