Over the last year, our team at HEAL International has been inspired by the remarkable leaders in our communities who have joined us in our efforts to empower individuals around their health. Certainly this was a year in which we embraced new beginnings and growth of our programs, both in Arizona and Tanzania. This year our organization logged more service hours than we have ever before. We also had the largest team of Community Health Facilitators to date and expanded our reach as a result.

The HEAL International team works in collaboration with the community to empower them to take action surrounding their health and well being. We have been fortunate to witness individuals take their health into their own hands, becoming advocates for themselves and their community. We take pride in the work we do, the communities in which we serve, and the people who serve with us. We are committed to a future filled with equity, love, and acceptance. 

Thank you to all of our partners, donors, and team members for an incredible year!

Of My Own - Healing for Trafficked Youth

Our team in Arizona is committed to creating new futures for children who have experienced sex-trafficking and sexual violence, and that is where Of My Own blossoms. Throughout the year, four volunteer staff spent over 80 hours visiting and prepping materials used at a safe house for sex-trafficked youth in Phoenix, Arizona. At this location, they discussed topics such as sexual health, healthy relationships, and communication to children ages 11-17. The children HEAL International works with are strong, loving individuals who need someone who can be a shoulder to lean on. The children need access to love and healing, and we are present to listen for what will make a difference in their lives.

Our volunteer staff worked with 57 unique individuals in the group home in a six week long course that addressed the individual needs of persons in their circumstances. The six week long course was offered four separate times throughout the year, and residents at the 

safe house accumulated a total of 334.25 hours having discussions about what matters to them in their lives.

Some of the Topics and Activities covered during the courses included the following:

• HIV/AIDS and STI transmission, testing, and prevention

• Components of a Healthy Relationship

• Respect

• Communicating Needs

• Saying “No”

• Future Plans and Goals

• Sharing Who We Are

Of My Own is a program of HEAL’s that has changed the lives of over 200 individuals in Arizona. We stand for children to live an empowered life where they get to be the source of their own happiness and connected relationships. Our team is always continuing to learn and grow in order to support the healing of children, and we are lucky to do what we do.

Community Health Facilitator Program - Arusha, Tanzania

From June 27th to August 5th, HEAL International completed our annual Community Health Facilitator program. This year, sixteen American university students joined six Tanzanian teaching partners and four HEAL Coaches as Community Health Facilitators in Arusha, Tanzania to lead health education discussions. The goal of this program is to empower the community to understand their health, to discover what matters to the community in regards to their health, and to encourage the community to take preventative health action.

The Community Health Facilitators (CHFs) trained for five months prior to coming to Tanzania to learn health education content, as well as how to lead important discussions cross-culturally. After arriving in Tanzania, the CHFs participated in an in-field orientation to practice teaching with translation, learn about Tanzanian customs and culture, and discover the beauty of Akeri, the village where we provide service.

The education program was implemented in Arumeru District, particularly in Akeri, Kimundo, and Nkoanrua, Patandi, and Tengeru. The Community Health Facilitators worked alongside teachers to develop a specialized curriculum for each class that complemented what the students are already learning in the areas of biology, health, and HIV/AIDS.

The HEAL International Health Education Curriculum consists of a range of health topics: Germs (“Things Too Small to See”), Nutrition, Hygiene and Sanitation, Malaria Prevention, HIV/AIDS Prevention, HIV/AIDS Transmission, HIV/AIDS Testing and Treatment. Our curriculum is dynamic and includes activities for the students that reinforce what they are learning. During the program this year, the CHFs utilized Germ Powder and other low cost science resources to demonstrate and reinforce topics we are covering. The curriculum also consists of other games that allow the students to review content or release energy. In total, our community health facilitators taught HIV/AIDS and health education to 3,202 youth in primary and secondary school.

Community Day (Akeri)

At the end of the Community Health Facilitator Program, HEAL International held its second annual Community Day, which took place at the Akeri Primary School Field. The event received over 600 community members throughout the day, with students and adults coming from Nkoanrua, Kimundo, Mavinuni, Patandi, Sing’isi, and Tengeru. The activities of the day were incredibly successful as they brought together the community on a day full of joy and empowerment for health. There were over 500 young students that participated in music, games, and completing a community mural. Many of these students were those taught by our HEAL Community Health Facilitators. This day strengthened our interns’ relationships with their students, furthering the positive impact of HEAL’s health education programs.  

On Community Day, 250 individuals got tested at the event. As represented below in the charts, 114 of the 250 individuals tested on community day had never before been tested. As an organization, we were very excited by this data as it represents the impact of our HIV Education Program and the willingness of community individuals to join together to reach an HIV free generation. Additionally, we, as an organization, were encouraged by the amount of individuals between 15-24 who received HIV tests, as around the world, this age group is the most at risk for new HIV infections.

In response to HEAL Community Day, village and community leaders expressed interest in continued testing for HIV, as well testing and consultations for other diseases, both infectious and chronic.

Ultimately, this event evidenced the continued importance of HEAL International’s work within the community and revealed more ways that HEAL can partner within the community to continue to support the Arumeru District in their health goals.

World AIDS Day Celebrations

Student Paintings at our annual paint for peace event at arizona State university.

Paint for Peace - Arizona

Every year at the Arizona State University Tempe campus, we host an event called Paint for Peace on World AIDS Day. The event is very important to our Community Health Facilitators and volunteers because it creates a space to express hope for the future of HIV/AIDS, and aims to inspire, educate, empower, and offer support for all those infected, affected, and at-risk. Guests attending the event are invited to paint on a small canvas, and include a red ribbon to honor those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

This year we hosted the 9th annual Paint for Peace on Hayden Lawn. Over 100 people painted on a canvas to display for all by passers, and over 50 volunteers joined us to make the event a success. We had fun activities that spread awareness and positive messages surrounding HIV/AIDS, such as lawn scrabble with words focused around HIV/AIDS, cornhole decorated with large red ribbons, giant Jenga with questions about HIV, and a colorful spin wheel with HIV trivia questions and candy prizes. All of these games were handmade by our Community Health Facilitators and ASU volunteers.

One of the most powerful pieces of the event is free HIV testing offered to anyone on campus. Many of our volunteers were tested for the first time that day, and guests also got to get tested for HIV with the help of Terros Health. As the painting and testing occurred, seven sexual health organizations offered awareness, samples, and informational pamphlets about testing, transmission, prevention, and treatment. 

World AIDS Day - Tanzania

In Arusha, HEAL International held a World AIDS Day event to honor those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS, to empower and educate young people about HIV, and to fight HIV stigma in our communities. Tengeru Institute for Community Development (TICD) hosted HEAL International. Upon entering the lecture hall, participants received a red ribbon symbolic of the fight against HIV/AIDS. Over 300 young people attended the event where the first hour was spent listening to and engaging with different speakers from the community. 

All of these conversations left the students with a new sense of freedom when it comes to HIV and new futures for all of the young students and their communities.

After the lectures, in collaboration with TICD and Meru District Hospital, HIV testing was made available to students. In total, 125 young people chose to get tested, 80 of those being young women. There was also music outside and activities for students to share with others about how they can work together to create change in their community. Small posters with positive World AIDS Day messages saying, “Everyone has an HIV status, know yours” “I know my status, do you?” “Get tested, protect yourself” and student’s very own messages were created for everyone to take pictures with and share on their social media to spread love and light surrounding HIV. There was also an HIV memorial made to honor and remember those we have lost to HIV where students wrote the names of loved ones and hung them on a string between beautiful palm trees.
 

Read Our Annual Reports