Project HOPE
Project HOPE (Health Opportunities for People Everywhere) is an international health care non-governmental organization founded in the United States in 1958. Its founding and early years received strong support from private sector businesses and the U.S. government.Industries, such as the Ex-Cell-O Corporation, used highly-publicized giving to "Hope" to promote their image and win business in America and also overseas. American government actors and agencies, from Eisenhower to Kennedy to USAID, saw "Hope" as an ideological Cold War weapon to fight communism, place America on the international stage, and garner public approval. Its most  visible project was the SS "HOPE", the first peacetime hospital ship (converted from the USS "Consolation" (AH-15)). The SS "HOPE" was retired in 1974, after sailing to Indonesia, South 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. In its early years, there was muddling of humanitarianism with other agendas, e.g. business interests and fighting the Cold War. Project HOPE has been criticized for these conflicts of interest and noted to be "a cautionary tale for development  organizations seeking mass appeal now." The SS "HOPE" was not replaced, and emphasis switched entirely to land-based operations. 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. Project HOPE is headquartered in Washington, D.C. Mission. Project HOPE works to achieve sustainable advances in health care around the world by implementing health education programs and providing humanitarian assistance in areas of need. Project HOPE is unique among international organizations in that we have always worked across the health spectrum in a wide variety of settings, from the family and community levels to the tertiary care level, training traditional birth attendants and community health volunteers where resources are limited and cardiac surgeons and biomedical engineers where technology is  appropriate. Project HOPE addresses infectious diseases, health professional education, women's and children's health, humanitarian assistance, and the need for health systems and facilities. Sites. Project HOPE has programs in the following countries: Collectible card. In October 2020, the digital collectible cards company Phil Ropy created a card with American photographer Elliott Erwitt to raise awareness for Project HOPE’s COVID-19 response. The picture on the card shows a pair of medical rubber gloves as a reminder of how exposed health care workers are and as an allusion to Project HOPE's logo. The proceeds from the sales of  the card are redistributed to the organization.