Global Philanthropic Committee
The Global Philanthropic Committee (GPC) consists of multi-national urology organisations with the goal of supporting proposals for worthy projects to improve urologic care throughout the world.
Members including the American Urological Association (AUA), European Association of Urology (EAU), International Continence Society (ICS) and the Société Internationale dÚrologie (SIU) allows organisations to pool their resources to fund larger-scale philanthropic projects as a collaborative effort. Urology organisations can support a project through monetary funds and/or in-kind donations, including volunteer time.
“The GPC’s mission is to provide philanthropic support to improve urological education in the developing world.”
The GPC’s mission is to provide philanthropic support to improve urological education in the developing world. The GPC strives to provide funding mainly for education and generally will not provide funds for purchasing expensive equipment. The gPC will selectively provide funds for educators to travel for the purpose of providing training in various regions of the world, within the parameters of an approved funding request.
Milestones
Dr. John Denstedt (CA), American Urological Association (AUA): “In 2013, at the GPC Meeting held during the AUA Annual Meeting in San Diego, Prof. Olapade-Olaopa noted that since the GPC had begun its support and equipment donations to his institution in Ibadan, Nigeria, they had a 30-40% increase in procedures. He mentioned that they also had more multidisciplinary interactions between urologists, nurses and general surgeons, which was an unexpected benefit from the GPC’s support. It’s clear that GPC support has led to long-term improvements in urology care in underserved areas – which is exactly the goal of this collaborative effort.”
Prof. Christopher Chapple (GB), European Association of Urology (EAU): “The GPC is an initiative which we are very proud to support. We believe it is an important initiative as it allows us to channel resources from all four organisations to support colleagues practising in less advantaged areas of the world. In particular, the EAU has been proud to support the unit at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Arusha, Tanzania, and its training programme for young urologists, who are very grateful for the philanthropic support that provides equipment to facilitate this programme.”
Mr. Daniel Snowdon (GB), International Continence Society (ICS): “ICS, as a registered charitable organisation, shared the philanthropic goals of the GPC. We also greatly valued the partnership opportunities the group offered in uniting like-minded societies in an international effort to ease the suffering caused by urological health issues.”
Dr. Simon Tanguay (GB), Société Internationale d’Urologie (SIU): “When Dr. Robert C. Flanigan, the AUA secretary, approached the SIU in 2010 to support an initiative for a global philanthropic group, SIU immediately recognized the significant potential for valuable assistance this initiative could bring to underserved countries. As an international organisation with a philanthropic mission, this project was a natural fit for the SIU. The SIU’s mission is further demonstrated by the activities of the GPC: supporting cooperation in urological care and education.”
Urology organisations can support a project through monetary funds and/or in-kind donations, including volunteer time.
For more information about the GPC, please contact: GPC@siu-urology.org.
Mission
The GPC’s mission is to provide philanthropic support to improve urological education in the developing world. The GPC strives to provide funding mainly for education and generally will not provide funds for purchasing expensive equipment. The primary goal is to help build the infrastructure for a sustainable and self-sufficient educational hub in areas of need; using a “train the trainer” model.
The GPC will selectively provide funds for educators (if volunteers are not available) to travel for the purpose of providing training, within the parameters of an approved funding request.
Previous Projects
The inaugural GPC project was the support of two urology training centres in Nigeria and Senegal that serve multiple countries. Thanks to the GPC’s support, those training centres have established formal academic training programs and have significantly improved the urological care provided to patients.
Since its inception, the GPC has supported educational efforts in Cameroon, Haiti, Nigeria, Senegal and Tanzania. If you would like to know more about GPC’s project in Moshi, Tanzania, please read the story of Dr. Jacques Bogdanowicz.
Contribute
Urology organizations can support a project through monetary funds and/or in-kind donations, including volunteer time. For more information about the GPC, please contact: GPC@siu-urology.org.