Founded in 1961, PCI is an international development and humanitarian assistance organization dedicated to promoting community health and integrated development worldwide. PCI is headquartered in San Diego, CA, and currently operates in 16 countries in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. Sectoral focus areas include: humanitarian assistance and disaster risk management; health and nutrition; water and sanitation; food and livelihood security; and disease prevention and mitigation. With a FY10 operating budget of $30 million, PCI serves 4.5 million people annually.
Mission
Project Concern International's mission is to prevent disease, improve community health, and promote sustainable development.
THEIR WORK
In places where access to health care is severely limited, the best way to implement poverty solutions and protect the health of children, mothers, and families is to show parents, community volunteers, and local governments ways of preventing disease and illness. Project Concern International employs an integrated approach to its work by focusing on the following main intervention areas:
Preventing Disease
In addition to improving and sustaining medical care for children and their families, PCI works with over 8,000 community health volunteers on ways of preventing disease in the community and providing basic health care to their neighbors. PCI plays a leadership role around the world addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing prevention services, care and support, food, and shelter for those most affected by the disease.
Maternal Child Health
PCI improves maternal child health by promoting healthy behaviors such as prenatal care, child immunizations, and breastfeeding.
Water and Sanitation
PCI works with communities to dig wells, build latrines, and construct safe water and sewage systems. PCI also trains volunteers to teach their communities about proper hygiene and sanitation.
Food Security
PCI ensures that children grow up healthy and strong by providing nutritious meals in schools, promoting family vegetable gardens, and providing farmers with techniques for improved agriculture and livestock production.
Humanitarian Relief and Assistance
While PCI's main focus is building sustainable healthy communities worldwide, often times there are emergency situations that require their programmatic expertise and immediate attention in order to alleviate suffering and prevent health crises that often result from a catastrophic natural disaster.
