Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for Doctors Without Borders, Valeria Reyes Corona shares her experience working in remote Zimbabwe and helping deliver life-saving drugs to those suffering from HIV.

· Why are HIV drugs being distributed in the community and away from health facilities? How can donors support efforts to reach these remote locations and help communities with treatable diseases? 

· Here's how philanthropy can make an impact on HIV through focused, sustained efforts.

When I got the news about being part of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and my first assignment in Zimbabwe, I was very excited. I was glad to have the opportunity to work in a wonderful environment, learn from others and share experiences to help people and empower them to improve their lives.

I’m Valeria, a health promoter from Mexico City. My background is social work, and I’ve been working in community development and community mobilisation for 12 years.

My assignment in Zimbabwe was in the “out of district” Mwenezi project, located in the remote areas in south-eastern Zimbabwe.

One of the activities in our project is the outreach program, providing medical services to remote communities who might not otherwise have access to them. Outreach means MSF teams travel distances of about 60 to 200 kilometres to meet patients.

For our team, a normal day of outreach starts at Chirindi Clinic, one of the health facilities run by the Zimbabwean Ministry of Health and Child Care.

All the HIV drugs, green books (green booklets where demographic information and patient care information is recorded), tables, chairs and other items are packed up and loaded into the MSF car.

Read the full article about getting life-saving drugs to remote Zimbabwe by Valeria Reyes Corona at Doctors Without Borders.