Formerly Minnesota International Health Volunteers

Improving the health of women, children and their communities around the world.

Around the World

While WellShare began in Minnesota, its mission began with a commitment to serve well beyond domestic borders. As a result, we have three decades of experience in designing and implementing sustainable programs in Africa and Latin America. In many cases, these projects began through financial support from The United States Agency for International Health Development (USAID), private donors, and family foundations.

In Uganda, we have trained community health workers, formed women’s associations, increased women’s potential for generating income, developed strategies in AIDS prevention and the care of people living with AIDS, and developed expertise in family planning (child spacing) and malaria prevention. In Kenya, we have worked with local partners to build a clinic and train more than 600 volunteer health workers to conduct outreach. In Nicaragua, we formed women’s groups and trained more than 400 volunteer health workers who provide life-saving health care services in their communities. In Tanzania, we have developed a child survival project in northern Tanzania, designed to improve the lives of tens of thousands of reproductive-aged women and children under age 5. Each of these programs continues today, largely driven by local resources and initiative.

United States

Throughout Minnesota and the United States, WellShare has a successful history of working collaboratively with community-based organizations, health service providers, and community institutions who serve Somali refugees and other refugee and immigrant groups. Together, we work to achieve a common goal of overcoming barriers to care and addressing unique health concerns of this populations. Since 2002, WellShare has worked with a number of partners in the Somali community to implement health programming.