Volunteer Healthcare Corps

In late 2004, AIHA established the HRSA-funded HIV/AIDS Twinning Center to support PEPFAR objectives to build sustainable institutional and human resource capacity in target countries overseas.

The Volunteer Healthcare Corps (VHC) is a distinct yet complementary component of the Twinning Center's institutional partnership program. It is designed to rapidly expand the pool of trained providers, managers, and allied health staff delivering quality healthcare services—including care to people living with HIV/AIDS—by providing opportunities for skilled professionals from various fields to serve the cause of global health by volunteering their time and expertise. Flexible and dynamic in nature, the VHC works to tailor assignments to the unique skill set of each volunteer, thereby maximizing the benefits on both sides.

Volunteers help increase human resources for health, scale up existing services, and jumpstart new projects through long-term placements at twinning partnership sites and other institutions. They become catalysts for sustainable change as they transfer knowledge and skills and serve as mentors and role models for local counterparts.

In addition to building the capacity of local institutions that are working to deliver effective and sustainable solutions to HIV/AIDS and other public health challenges in Africa, the VHC makes an important contribution to American public diplomacy. A long-standing partner of USAID's Volunteers for Prosperity (VfP) program and President Obama's volunteer initiative, the VHC provides global learning opportunities for each volunteer while enabling these individuals to serve as a goodwill ambassadors by bringing meaningful change to people's lives.