Healing Communities, Empowering Leaders: The Evolution of Our Global Health Mission

At Helping Children Worldwide (HCW), we believe that keeping children safe and families intact is deeply intertwined with healthcare. You cannot support a child without ensuring the health of the family and community that surrounds them.

Our journey into global health began in the wake of the devastating Sierra Leone civil war. Confronted with a massive unmet need for medical care—particularly for orphans within the Child Reintegration Centre (CRC) program—we knew we had to act. What started as a small clinic on the CRC campus quickly revealed a deeper truth: improving family health is inseparable from keeping children safe and families intact.


The Rise of Mercy Hospital: From a Small Clinic to a Center of Hope

Through collaborative fundraising and unstoppable community determination, that small clinic grew into Mercy Hospital, opening its doors in Bo, Sierra Leone, in 2007 as a beacon of hope.
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Over the years, Mercy has continuously expanded to meet the critical needs of the community:

• Maternal & Child Health: Mercy’s core identity centers on providing safe deliveries, prenatal care, newborn services, and nutritional support.
• The Power of Outreach: Mercy’s outreach teams visit rural villages, bringing life-saving care directly to Isolated communities
• Surgical Capabilities: In 2019, the hospital opened surgical and critical care suites, allowing teams to handle urgent obstetric emergencies requiring surgery.

Locally Led, Globally Supported

As a dedicated technical advisor, HCW serves as a bridge to critical global resources. We empower Mercy's independent growth by linking local leadership with advanced medical equipment, funding, and specialized clinical training teams.


Tackling Forgotten Crises: Non-Communicable Diseases

As the healthcare landscape changes, Mercy changes with it. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent a massive, often ignored burden in Sierra Leone’s healthcare system.

To combat this, Mercy has expanded into chronic care, establishing specialized clinics for diabetes, hypertension, and sickle cell disease. By strengthening diagnostic capabilities and training staff to manage chronic illnesses, Mercy is ensuring that no patient is left behind.


Expanding Our Reach: The Together for Global Health Network

The powerful lessons we learned alongside Mercy Hospital were too valuable to keep to ourselves. Driven by a desire to better support our allies and learn from fellow organizations, we founded the Together for Global Health Network.

Today, this network brings organizations together on a monthly basis to share ideas, resources, and best practices. Out of this collaboration, our Maternal and Child Health Training Project was born, amplifying our collective impact. The Maternal and Child Health Training Project is a collaborative initiative that brings together diverse healthcare organizations to equip local nurses and midwives with critical, life-saving clinical skills.

Because of the strength of this model, HCW has expanded its financial support to health organizations in Haiti and Guatemala, growing our global footprint.

We are expanding our reach without ever compromising our commitment to the organization that started it all: the growth and strengthening of Mercy Hospital. Together, we are witnessing what is possible when global partnerships champion locally led healthcare.

Yasmine Vaughan

Technical Advisor for Global Health and Missions