Organisation

Hope4Health is a non-profit organisation and registered charity founded by Griffith University students in 2006

What was initially a small medical student run organisation, now boasts over 1,000 members from all health disciplines. Our organisation is focused on eliminating health inequality wherever it exists. H4H aims to improve health outcomes for local, rural, indigenous, and global communities. We achieve our goals by coordinating education and fundraising activities for our members including Rural Clinical Skills Trips, GATSIH conference, fundraising parties, Teddy Bear Hospitals and much, much more. Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with our latest events!

Vision
A world without health inequalities.

Mission
To improve health outcomes for local, rural, indigenous and international communities.

Values
Fun, Professionalism, Teamwork, Relationships, Sustainability, Neutrality, Empowerment

History

In early 2006, as the sun was setting over the Broadwater in Southport, a group of first year medical students were conversing in The Anglers Arms Hotel after a long day of lectures. One of the students was telling his peers of an exciting project that was being undertaken to build a hospital in Ghana, West Africa. Inspired by this opportunity, each of the students wished to make a contribution and discussions began about ways to increase awareness and support for this project – one of which was to host a gala charity dinner for the health and business communities of the Gold Coast.

On August 25th 2006, Hope4Health was registered as an Incorporated Association and Charity with the Office of Fair Trading, Queensland. Less than 12 months on from that the proposed gala ball – the inaugural Jazz Dinner Dance – was held on Saturday 26th May, 2007 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre. The evening was a stunning success. There were over 450 guests, a new BMW was sold at auction, and entertainment was provided by Con Artists jazz big band. Most importantly $60,000 was raised for the ‘Ghana Project’ and Hope4Health was prepared to achieve even greater heights!

Hope4Health has been moving from strength to strength ever since. Annually numerous events are run across our Local, Global and Rural and Indigenous portfolios. Our unique organisation is not just a rural health club or a global health club but raises awareness of health inequity across Australia and the globe and equips our members with education opportunities and charitable events to reduce inequity.

Hope4Health timeline of achievements

2020

  • Events are adapted for online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Online rallies are held for AMSA Code Green Climate Change and Crossing Borders Palm Sunday.
  • In partnership with Surgia, the inaugural International Global Surgery Day conference is held.
  • Rural Careers evening sees multiple health professionals inspire students to plan careers in Rural Australia.
  • The Global, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander (GATSI) Health Conference inspires students whilst raising funds for the Fred Hollows foundation.
  • Birthing Kits Night makes 250 birthing kits and opens students’ eyes to difficulties seeking maternity care and managing obstetric emergencies across the world screening the “Sister” documentary by Brenda Davis.
  • Sumba Project, one our daughter organisations, hosts the inaugural Sumba Sounds which raises over $6000 for sustainable health projects on the island of Sumba.
  • Ubuntu through health, our second daughter organisation, raised over $5000 for the Raise Funds for Ruben virtual campaign, more than doubling their original fundraising goal.

2019

  • Op Shop ball raises over $2000 for Radio Lollipop.
  • Jungle party was a sold out event raising over $3500 for Ubuntu through Health and Hope4Health Global projects.
  • Rural Clinical Skills Trips are run to Stanthorpe, Warwick, Toowoomba, and Kingaroy in collaboration with Rural Medical Education Australia (RMEA).
  • Ten medical students receive a $500 scholarship to attend rural placements over summer and inspire their dreams of becoming a Rural Generalist Doctor.

2018

  • Op Shop Ball raises over $3300 for Radio Lollipop.
  • Inaugural Bush Bash raises nearly $5000 for rural scholarship program to allow ten medical students to undertake rural placements over summer.
  • Ubuntu Through Health Annual Fundraising Dinner raised $11,081 for their Malnutrition Intervention Program for children at the Ruben Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.
  • Drought Drive fundraiser raises nearly $1200 for Australian farmers affected by drought.

2017

  • Jungle Party 2017 raises over $3200 to support the continuing work of both Ubuntu Through Health and Hope4Health Global portfolio.
  • Sunset Soiree 2017 celebrates the Seed Foundation’s work in support of First People’s Health and raises over $11000 for the organization to support students in Northern Queensland.
  • Code Green at Griffith and Bond run as a team representing Doctors for Environment Australia (DEA) at the Gold Coast Airport Marathon. Over $1900 is raised to support DEA’s work to address the health effects of climate change.

2016

  • Op Shop Ball raises over $1300 for Radio Lollipop.
  • Birthing Kits night makes 400 kits to attempt to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths.
  • The inaugural First Peoples Health in Medicine symposium is held to improve cultural awareness and competency in our future doctors. This event is now run annually in partnership with the Griffith School of Medicine and delivered to 1st and 2nd year Doctor of Medicine students.

2015

  • Op Shop Ball raises over $1100 for Radio Lollipop – an international charity which provides comfort, assistance and entertainment for children in hospital and their families, including those at the GCUH
  • Jungle party run in collaboration with Ubuntu through Health raises over $5700 for various projects.

2014

  • Ubuntu Through Health hosts on the inaugural Jungle Party and raises $2000 for birthing kits destined for PNG.
  • Inaugural Red Week raises $4200 for Fiji Network for People Living with HIV (FJN+)

2013

  • The Sumba Project was established by a group of Griffith University medical students under the Hope4Health banner.
  • Hope4Health in partnership with Queensland Rural Medical Education, now Rural Medical Education Australia, sends the first students on the Papua New Guinea Medical Aid Program. This program is an integrated medical training program in the western providence of PNG, with the goal of providing medical equipment and staff up-skilling.
  • Ubuntu Through Health Dinner, raised  $33 709 enough to purchase an ambulance for the Hope Medical Centre in Dabaa, Ghana. This hospital was built by Hope4Health and the Watson Association with the money raised at the inaugral Jazz Dinner Dance and officially opened in 2012.
  • The 2013 Jazz Dinner Dance raised $20,000 for the Papa New Guinea Medical Aid Program.

2012

  • The Healthy Start program is established in partnership with Multicultural Development Association (MDA). This program aims to give recently arrived refugees to Australia information about healthy living and the Australian health system.
  • Student Elective Aid Program is established. This program encourages medical facilities to donate equipment and supplies to Hope4Health for the purpose of later taking these supplies to International communities where they are in critically short supply.
  • The inaugural Spirit of Healthy Horizons Conference, now known as GATSIH, brings together prestigious speakers, community dignitaries and over 150 health student delegates from Griffith University, Bond University, and the University of Queensland to celebrate positive Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health initiatives.
  • The Jazz Dinner Dance sees 350 medical professionals and students come together at the Gold Coast’s Marriott hotel to raise $20,000 for Fiji Heart to equip a cardiac catheterization laboratory in Suva’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital.
  • Ubuntu Through Health hosts the Dinner for Ruben event. The Ruben Centre is a not-for-profit charity organisation situated in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums of Nairobi, Kenya. This event raised $53,775 to ensure funding for the Ruben Centre’s Malnutrition Intervention Program (MIP) and OT incentive program for four years.

2011

  • The first Cherbourg Dental Clinic sees supervised Griffith Dental students provide emergency dental treatment for the Indigenous community of Cherbourg, who have not had access to a local dentist for several years. In 2011, 1065 procedures were completed, which according to 2009 Queensland Health costing, amounted to just under $80,000 worth of treatment.
  • The Jazz dinner dance raises $15 000 for the Ubuntu through health Nutritional Support Initiative (NSI) which was launched in Khayelitsha, Africa in 2012.

2010

  • The Ubuntu Through Health project is established by a group of 6 Griffith University medical students, under the Hope4Health banner.

2008

  • The 2008 Jazz Dinner Dance raises $10,000 for the Royal Flying Doctors Service (RFDS).
  • Hope4Health, in collaboration with TROHPIQ (UQ) and BUSHFIRE (Bond), holds the first of the infamous B and S styled Midnight Muster events in support of the Royal Flying Doctors Service.

2007

  • Teddy Bear Hospital, a UK initiative aimed at promoting healthy living to primary school children, is rolled out in local Gold Coast Schools.
  • The Inaugural Jazz Dinner dance is a huge success raising $65 000 to build the Dabaa Hospital in Ghana together with the Watson Association.

2006

  • Hope4Health is conceived by a small, dedicated team of Griffith University Medical Students.
  • Hope4Health was registered as an Incorporated Association and Charity with the Office of Fair Trading, Queensland.