At a recent event marking VillageReach’s 25th anniversary, CEO Liz Jarman emphasized the importance of nonprofits becoming irrelevant in the future, indicating that their continued presence would signify a failure to achieve lasting impact. This sentiment is echoed by the Gates Foundation, which has set an end date of 2045 for its operations, recognizing that a fixed timeline can drive meaningful change.
The key to durable health progress lies in patience and a long-term vision that extends beyond immediate grant cycles. Public health crises, such as Ebola and COVID-19, have highlighted the limitations of quick fixes and fragmented investments. Innovations that respond to communities’ lived experiences and governments’ priorities are more likely to endure.
The Community Insights to Action (CITA) approach, adopted by VillageReach, begins by engaging with communities to understand their needs and priorities. This approach ensures that health systems are designed to listen, adapt, and endure, rather than simply addressing symptoms. By closing the loop and providing feedback to communities, CITA builds trust, strengthens accountability, and fosters ongoing conversation.
In today’s context, where health budgets are shrinking and donor contributions are unpredictable, responsiveness is crucial. Health systems must be able to adapt to shifting demands, absorb shocks, and reflect the priorities of the people they serve. The current financial environment often prioritizes short-term projects with rapid results, but this approach can lead to duplication of effort, wasted resources, and initiatives that vanish when funding ends.
VillageReach’s experience in Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo demonstrates the value of a deliberate and iterative approach to system design. By engaging deeply with communities, analyzing insights, and translating them into system-level action, VillageReach has helped build stronger and more innovative health systems. The progress achieved in these countries, such as improved vaccine availability, is a testament to the effectiveness of this approach.
As the global health community navigates uncertain times, it is essential to prioritize patience and focus on building sustainable health systems. By resisting short-term thinking and committing to approaches that are routine, responsive, iterative, and designed to last, funders, governments, and implementers can deliver better results for every dollar invested. The key question is not how quickly we can achieve results, but how well we can build health systems that endure, and how soon we can begin.
