Guiding Principles for Conducting Global Health Activities

This CHA resource offers Catholic health ministry leaders and others who participate in global health projects six Guiding Principles for Conducting Global Health Activities.

Offering a modern day parable and Guiding Principles, this resource brings to life the richness of Catholic social teaching and tradition and inspires excellence and partnership in global health activities.
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CHA Guiding Principles 

 

Renewing Relationship – Essays as We Evolve and Emerge from Pandemic

CHA has curated a set of essays from highly-regarded theologians and public health experts to set the stage for collective consideration of how the complexities and challenges of the pandemic created an opportunity for us to rethink, reset and renew our global health relationships. While COVID-19 and the isolation we experienced creates many questions, they too, can provide us with renewed hope and inspiration to better conduct future global health partnerships. We hope you will take lessons from the time "apart" as a means of reflecting on future opportunities to be brother and sister to our global neighbors.
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Modern Day Parable for a Pandemic

This modern-day parable by Fr. Michael Rozier, SJ, connects pandemic realities with global health activities, emphasizing true partnership.
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PATIENCE

Build capacity, not dependency
We should neither conduct activities that a local community can do for itself nor participate in one-way financial giving. The process of getting to know your partner — in order to build capacity — often takes longer than expected and requires patience.
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EXCELLENCE

Best intentions do not equal best practices
Something is not always better than nothing. Low-resource settings do not permit lower standards. The high standards we follow in the U.S. — in delivering health care and developing partnerships — should not be set aside when working abroad. The laws of the country must be followed, the men and women providing services must be competent in their roles, and outcomes must be measured by quality, not simply quantity.
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HUMILITY

We all have something to learn
Partnerships marked by mutuality and respect build relationships where both the U.S. and international partners benefit and take away relevant lessons. True cultural competence is necessary for a two-way learning process in any development activity.
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