Project HOPE (USA)

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This article is about US philanthropic organization. For the Chinese service project see Project Hope

SS Hope

Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is an international health care organization founded in the United States in 1958. Its most visible aspect was the SS HOPE, the first peacetime hospital ship (converted from the USS Consolation (AH-6)). The SS HOPE was retired in 1974, after sailing to Indonesia, Vietnam, Peru, Ecuador, Guinea, Nicaragua, Colombia, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Tunisia, Jamaica, and Brazil. On these voyages doctors, nurses, and technical staff provided medical care and training to people in each country visited. Today there are organizations in Germany and the United Kingdom, in addition to the original organization in the United States.

Project HOPE helps different developing countries in efforts to eradicate infectious diseases like HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis. They also help educate parents on how to prevent and treat diseases for their children and themselves, and also train health professionals. Project HOPE also sets up village health banks, which give small loans to women so they can improve their health and family's health. The village health banks also educate women on health.

In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, HOPE sent volunteer medical response teams to the area, where they provided nursing care to people in need. As of July 2006, HOPE continues to provide aid to the people on the Gulf Coast who were hit by Hurricane Katrina. In the spring of 2006, they helped staff the U.S. Navy hospital ship, known as the Mercy, with volunteer physicians and nurses to South Asia.

HOPE has programs in the following countries:

Africa

The Americas