Project Impact is part of a new and growing movement called "social entrepreneurship," which blends business strategies with social justice values. Social entrepreneurship aims to create nonprofit businesses to solve social and public health problems, while simultaneously expanding economic opportunities for disadvantaged individuals.
Project Impact's mission is to use the methods of social entrepreneurship to create financially sustainable, cost-effective programs to make health care services and products affordable and available in developing countries, with an emphasis on improved access for the poor.
Over the last several years, we have developed a strong, sustainable business model for health care development. We work in partnership with local organizations, and our partners maintain ownership of the programs we develop. These programs are locally run and self-sustaining based on user fees?an economic paradigm that differs greatly from prevailing ways of financing health care in the developing world. While the bulk of our effort is currently directed toward eye care and hearing impairment, our future projects will apply this model to other public health problems such as distribution of HIV drugs and dissemination of an AIDS vaccine when one becomes available.