About Us
Health Leadership International is a volunteer organization that strengthens the health systems in Lao PDR. We partner with local leaders to educate, train and advance creative, sustainable, healthcare solutions.
Health Leadership International is a Seattle-based volunteer organization of professionals in the fields of education, healthcare, social services, and technology/media. Our volunteers are committed to building sustainable health projects in the Lao PDR.
Mission
Health Leadership International works to strengthen health systems and advance sustainedable, creative solutions through medical education and global partnership with local leaders.
Health Leadership International is a U.S. based NGO volunteer organization comprised of professionals in the fields of healthcare, education, social service, and technology/media. Working in consultation with the Lao Ministry of Health, our teams design curricula and provide hands-on medical training to Lao health professionals in both provincial and district hospitals and in medical training institutions in the Lao PDR. HLI is committed to sustainable educational solutions that address the global healthcare disparity.
Guiding Principles
• Health Leadership International volunteers are drawn to this work out of a deep appreciation and respect for Lao culture
• Health Leadership International works where invited by national and community based Lao leaders
• Our training programs are responsive to our Lao partners to identify their healthcare and training needs
• Volunteerism and cross culture partnerships are integral for our work in the Lao PDR
Why Laos
Health Leadership International works exclusively in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), a landlocked country in Southeast Asia about the size of the state of Utah. Lao PDR shares borders with China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. A mountainous country laced with rivers, the Mekong flows through nearly 1,900 kilometers of countryside, shaping both the culture and livelihood of Lao's 47 distinct ethnic groups.
Lao PDR is a predominantly Buddhist country. An estimated 6.6 million people, live in remote, rural areas and depend upon rice cultivation and fishing. Many lack access to clean water and improved sanitation. Lao's geography, together with a sizable amount of unexploded ordnance that remains from the Vietnam War, have hindered the development of roads and infrastructure. The Lao government has made significant efforts to reduce poverty and improve health and education to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Two-thirds of its more than six million inhabitants live in rural areas and the country’s heavily forested, mountainous terrain and lack of connective infrastructure make access to government services difficult.
