An antidote to despair

A note from Sheila Davis, Chief Executive Officer of Partners In Health

I lead a team of almost 18,000 people around the world. We're united by the simple fact that each of us is deeply committed to valuing the lives of the marginalized, giving them the tools and care they need to heal when they are sick or injured, and building systems in partnership with communities to empower them to thrive for years to come.

More often than not, PIH feels more like a large extended family or a group of dear friends, in addition to a team of expert activists and caregivers.

Because of the values we share, and the impact we know U.S. politics can have on the lives of all those impoverished by structural violence, you might be wondering if I am feeling hopeless or despondent right now. You might wonder if this extended PIH family is feeling that way too.

I'm not. And PIH as a whole isn't either. If anything, we're more motivated to provide lifesaving health care in some of the most impoverished communities around the world-today as we were yesterday-and that's because we know two things to be true:

1. Action is the antidote to despair.
2. Bending the arc toward justice forbids us the luxury of being pessimistic on behalf of those who cannot afford to lose hope.

You're an important and necessary member of our global family of rebel caregivers. If you're feeling despondent or hopeless, paralyzed by what feels like rising cruelty or violence, I urge you to hold onto these two facts and use them to get up and keep going.

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THE ANTIDOTE TO DESPAIR

The antidote to despair is action. It's almost obvious once it is said aloud, but it is no less true for it. We've proven over and over again that we can produce radical change-even in the face of powerful, organized, political opposition-replacing clinical deserts with robust health care systems that save lives and reinforce the dignity of every human being. Taking one step feels better than standing still, and over time, those steps produce real results. Those results build into a legacy of change, of lives saved, and communities empowered-a legacy that transforms despair into hope.

BENDING THE ARC TOWARD JUSTICE

Long-term systemic change takes time. Setbacks will happen, big and small, but they're only true setbacks if they stop us. They won't. Bending the arc toward justice requires, as Antonio Gramsci said, "a pessimism of the intellect and an optimism of the will."

We cannot afford to ignore the threats and challenges we face. We see them clearly, anticipate how bad things can get, and prepare. To do otherwise would be to fail the people we serve. This is a pessimism of the intellect: It means we're ready for disaster, and our strategies are built to work in very unfavorable conditions.

One example: the thousands of tactical and operational changes our team in Haiti implemented to keep generators fueled up and powering hospitals in Haiti over the last two years even as widespread violence threatened every shipment and staff member.

In order to act, we must believe we can succeed. This is an optimism of the will. There are millions of people relying on the care that you help make possible as a PIHer. They do not have the luxury of waiting in despair, and so neither do we. Hope is a moral choice-one that is necessary for any action toward justice.

An example? The dedicated caregivers who stayed to save lives even after gunmen invaded HUM, the 350-bed teaching hospital PIH supports in Haiti, last year. Meanwhile, as care continued through countless acts of bravery, other teams brought a modern solar energy system online, dramatically improving HUM's resilience in the future.

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This was true a month ago, and it will be true a year from now: How much damage is done, and how much progress we make, will be determined by what each of us does to put our values into action.

Together, as PIHers around the world, we are acting together to build the world we know is possible. One where everyone has the dignified health care that is their human right, and all lives are valued equally.

Thank you, everyone, for locking arms with us in care and solidarity across difference and distance. More to come.

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