Last night, while in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) visiting our programs, I attended a US election-eve gathering of mostly Congolese people in Kinshasa. The DRC is one of those “distant nations” President Obama was referring to in his early morning acceptance speech today, where people are, “risking their lives just for… the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.”

Fragile, conflict-ridden nations, such as the DRC, struggle with leadership and governance. Its people have been victims of horrific violence, stunning gender inequality, and some of the worst health conditions in the world. They deserve better.

The United States reelected President Barack Obama to lead not only our country, but also to lead on addressing global health and other global development challenges such as those faced by the DRC.

Management Sciences for Health (MSH), a global non-profit organization dedicated to saving lives and improving health for the poorest and most vulnerable in the world, has long been a partner with the US government, foundations, and other donors, working in more than 140 countries to build stronger and more sustainable health care systems.

“We’re going to try to drive through that?”

After spending nearly two years working in South Sudan, I was on my way with two colleagues to one final meeting. The USAID-funded second phase of the Sudan Health Transformation Project (SHTP II), led by Management Sciences for Health (MSH), ended activities on July 31, 2012, and three of us needed to travel 360 kilometers (220 miles) to a results dissemination meeting. A flight booking mishap meant we had no choice but to drive --- during rainy season.

With a key bridge washed out.

And it rained --- down poured --- for over an hour the morning we left.

After passing several toppled trucks, overtaking pickups irrevocably mired in mud, and crossing through a river, we came across the point where I uttered the above quote (“We’re going to try to drive through that?”).

Cross-posted from the MSH at the Union World Conference on Lung Health 2012 blog. Management Sciences for Health (MSH) presented at several symposia and workshops throughout the 43rd Union World Conference on Lung Health (read more).

Friday’s symposium on November 16 dealt with: Saving lives in areas of conflict or disaster: partnering for results (PDF). Dr. Eliud Wandwalo of MSH Tanzania coordinated the session along with Morgan Richardson.