Make A Difference » Partnership Funds 

Fund from the People of Taiwan

Through the generosity of the people of Taiwan, the Fund from the People of Taiwan has been established at the Pan American Health and Education Foundation. This fund supports priority health projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. More specifically, there is great interest in funding initiatives that strengthen the capacity of health systems and are sustainable, particularly those that focus on training, including distance education, networking and partnerships as well as multicountry participation. Other areas of special interest are infection control programs and health of indigenous people.

In commenting on Taiwan’s interest in the Americas, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office noted, “The people of Taiwan are pleased to help improve the health of the people of Latin America and the Caribbean. We uphold the same guiding principle as that of the Pan American Health and Education Foundation--the highest possible level of health for all. This common vision and our partnership are currently benefiting health projects in Bolivia, Colombia, Honduras, and Peru.”

In Bolivia, a grant was made in 2006 to the National Institute of Health Laboratories in La Paz (The Taibol Project) to provide a framework for the creation of a national coordinated network of infection control and microbiology laboratory units for the Republic of Bolivia. ($88,209)

In Colombia and Peru, a 2006 grant to the University of Vermont is supporting the creation of an on-line course for Latin American and Caribbean engineers working in health care (course topics: medical equipment technology, patient safety, clinical engineering, and technology management). The university is working in close collaboration and sharing work with the Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud in Colombia and Universidad Católica in Peru. ($158,500)

In Honduras, a grant made in 2006 to Fundación Maria is helping to improve maternal-child health in the rural region of Olancho through a three-year baseline pilot study that includes the integration of programs to control soil transmitted helminthes to two other programs (Componente de Salud Reproductiva and Componente del Niño Sano). ($44,000)

Photo: Courtesy of Photoshare.