ECHO India in top six of MacArthur Competition for $100 mn grant

New Delhi: Project ECHO has recently been named as one of the top six finalists for “100 & Change” – a global competition for a single $100 million grant from the MacArthur Foundation, as announced on July 20. The competition was graced by 755 other organizations from around the world working to accelerate social change and Project ECHO was one of the highest-scoring proposals among these.

Project ECHO is a low-cost, scalable innovation that increases the capacity of health workers in underserved communities to provide best-practice care to their patients. ECHO India’s mandate is to replicate Project ECHO’s global framework to deliver equitable healthcare & education to the vulnerable and the underserved in partnership with academic institutions across India.

“We are extremely humbled and excited to be a part of this final round,” said Dr Sanjeev Arora, founder of  Project ECHO. “Especially during this moment as the world responds to a global pandemic, the need for flexible global networks that support the rapid dissemination of changing best practices and encourage locally based, collaborative problem solving is critical. We have spent 17 years building these networks, and know how to work with partners in lower & middle-income countries to ensure that millions of patients receive access to quality care close to home, in their own language, delivered by local health workers.”

The ECHO model uses videoconference technology and enabling software to connect providers in underserved communities with teams of specialists at regional and national medical centres, for long-term telementoring and collaboration, and case-based learning on urgent health topics and conditions.

Treading the path to democratizing medical knowledge and care in India, ECHO India is training and supporting partners in private as well as government sectors across the country on how to use the ECHO model for priority health challenges.

With ECHO India supporting the pragmatic framework, the Project ECHO team has been working for maximum engagement with different communities, to democratize medical knowledge and care around the world.

The Project ECHO team will also receive technical assistance and consulting from MacArthur to support fundraising, scaling efforts, and continue to focus on inclusivity and equity. Project ECHO will present their proposal during a live event in the spring of 2021, before MacArthur’s Board names a single recipient to receive $100 million over up to six years.

The final winner of the competition will be chosen in the Spring of 2021 after a rigorous process but it is a momentous achievement and a matter of national pride for ECHO India, working with Project ECHO, to be the only Indian organization amongst the finalists of this massive global competition.