Wellshare International

“Reviewed by board of directors prior to filing.”

“Monitored and enforced by board of directors annually.”

“Approved by board of directors annually.”

“Governing documents are made available to the public upon request.”

“The mission of wellshare international is to advance sustainable community health around the world. Wellshare international focuses its resources where it can have the greatest impact on the health of individuals living in developing countries and on the health of underserved and vulnerable populations, including refugees and immigrants in minnesota, where its headquarter office is located. Wellshare international works in close partnership with communities and health care providers to ensure that their joint efforts are defined by local needs and are sustainable. Because of its extensive overseas community health experience, including 35+ years in east africa as well as significant experience in southeast asia and central america, wellshare is uniquely positioned to work both internationally and domestically with the growing immigrant and refugee communities in minnesota. Over the past 15 years in minnesota, wellshare has worked on public health initiatives with somali, oromo, hmong, and karen (burmese) immigrants and refugees and is now extending its community-based health work to reach additional vulnerable and underserved communities.”

“And communities in the twin cities. Wellshare chws work with the community to promote behavior changes that will reduce the risk of diabetes. Activities in 2014 included the creation of a culturally-specific pre- diabetes and weight management informational dvd in the somali language to supplement a diabetes curriculum which reached over 1,500 community members. Other activities included holding culturally appropriate exercise classes for 100 somali elders, and providing 150 grocery store tours coupled with 100 farmers' market tours to promote healthy food choices conducted in the native language of the participants. Our ehdi program also works with health care providers to build capacity for supporting patients along their path to optimal health. By offering training to physicians and community health workers, wellshare's ehdi program is helping to build the workforce capacity needed to reduce health disparities and improve culturally competent care. Another component of the eliminating health disparities initiative (ehdi), funded by the minnesota department of health's office of minority and multicultural health (mdh-ommh), is the minnesota community health worker peer network (see below for more information). Community health workers - bridging the cultural divide in 2014, wellshare expanded its work through the chw peer network. The peer network was created by wellshare in 2005 and consists of a state-wide group of community health workers serving diverse communities. Wellshare hosts the network mailing list and provides in-service professional development training opportunities to chws. The network sends out electronic (email) updates including chw job announcements, training information, and advocacy opportunities provided by chws and other stakeholders. Each year, wellshare surveys chw members about their educational needs in order to determine trainings that are most relevant to their work. Based on survey results, wellshare hosts bi-monthly professional development trainings for chws in the peer network. Currently the network reaches over 500 chws, employers, and key stakeholders. Trainings are recorded, archived, and posted online for later viewing by chws and other stakeholders who live in greater minnesota or outstate. Somali elders connection project through the somali elders connection project, wellshare community health workers build community connections for elders and support them to access the healthcare system. Wellshare provides home visiting services for seniors to help them understand their health needs and to connect them to the appropriate services. Our staff offers ongoing fitness and social connectedness groups on a variety of health topics along with senior housing units and adult day centers. Wellshare somali staff have completed extensive training on diabetes, nutrition, and fitness. Chws educated nearly 150 diverse participants in chronic disease self-management, and approximately 70% of participants noted that they were better equipped to communicate with their health care providers to achieve improved health outcomes. East african smoke-free program wellshare international's tobacco-free communities east african smoke-free program, funded by the minnesota department of health, aims to reduce the harm caused by tobacco and secondhand smoke among somali and east african children, youth, and young adults. The program's objectives include: 1) to implement innovative community awareness and health education activities to decrease secondhand smoke exposure and change social norms around tobacco use and exposure among somali and east african children, youth, and young adults; 2) to assist in the implementation of multi-unit housing smoke-free policies; 3) to assist in the adoption and implementation of tobacco-free grounds policies at somali- or east-african-owned businesses and events to decrease secondhand smoke exposure and change social norms around tobacco use and exposure among somali and east af”

“Partnership with the two district health teams and 10 district health team staff were trained as master trainers and 30 health center staff and 161 village health team members were trained to provide comprehensive community-based family planning. Some project results were presented at uganda's 2014 national family planning conference. Wellshare also implemented an assessment of emergency contraceptives in four districts with data analysis completed by apc. The arua district partnership for hiv/aids and family planning integration project, also funded by apc through usaid, trained 50 village health teams in arua district (west nile region, uganda) to provide integrated family planning counseling and methods along with hiv/aids prevention education with a focus on out-of-school youth and hiv discordant couples. The project also worked with health center staff to improve youth-friendly services and promoted community dialogues around gender, family planning and hiv/aids. Uganda hiv/aids prevention program the scaling up hiv/aids prevention services project (shap) focuses on hiv combination prevention among most-at-risk populations in arua district, uganda. Funded by the civil society fund (csf), shap reaches discordant couples (married couples of unknown hiv status), truckers and boda boda cyclists, fisher folk, commercial sex workers, and out-of-school youth. Started in september 2012, the project works to reduce new hiv infections working with key partners, the arua catholic diocesan health department, rural initiatives for community empowerment west nile, and the arua district health team. The project implements the following key activities: creating demand for hiv services including: couples, safe male circumcision, prevention of mother to child transmission, sexually transmitted infection testing, condoms, and anti-retroviral therapy. Partners create linkages through community mobilization and education interventions and services at health facilities. Targeted outreaches are carried out in known "hot spots," and referrals are provided for related prevention and care services. Trained resource persons and trainers of trainers work at the parish level to: a) refer clients to services, b) improve risk perception, and c) promote demand for and use of preventive services. Developing and implementing a behavior change communication strategy including targeted messages through media (radio) and interpersonal communication channels and distribution of information, education, and communication materials at outreach events. Emphasizing testing and disclosure among all target populations. Outreach is coordinated with providers and infotainment techniques are used to elicit interest in services. Addressing cultural and social issues that drive the hiv epidemic in the district through a series of community dialogue meetings and following the stepping stones model. Community dialogues reach the target populations and others (community development officers, local opinion leaders, religious leaders). Gender, sexual violence, male dominance, cross-generational sex, stigma and discrimination, and lack of women's decision-making around sexual and reproductive health decisions, among others, are addressed. Dialogue meetings are reinforced with radio talk shows and call-in shows on specific topics. Tanzania 'survive and thrive' groups for young mothers wellshare continued its work with young, single mothers in bariadi district, tanzania, in 2014. With funding from the weyerhauser family foundation, wellshare supported the formation of 6 new survive and thrive groups along with the continuation of 6 existing groups. Young women received health education and small business skills training along with technical support to implement a village community banking model.”

“TANZANIA, UGANDA, KENYA”