Our Founder

Pernessa C. Seele is founder and CEO of The Balm In Gilead, Inc., a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) whose mission is to prevent diseases and to improve the health status of people of the African Diaspora by providing support to faith institutions in areas of program design, implementation and evaluation. These efforts strengthen the capacity of the faith community to deliver programs and services that contribute to the elimination of health disparities.

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Operational Model

• Create Awareness: Provide leadership in the identification of key health issues that faith communities should mobilize around and place the issues and solutions within that community’s context.
• Develop Capacity: Provide technical support to build and enhance the capacity of faith institutions to effectively address health disparities within their communities.
• Engage Faith Institutions: Provide expertise in areas of program design, implementation and evaluation to support faith institutions’ commitment to developing their own active response to the community health crisis.
• Mobilize Community: Provide tools for community organizing and mobilization to faith institutions that are implementing the Balm In Gilead’s model for developing community-wide health promotion programs to encourage behavior and lifestyle changes.
• Promote Advocacy: Provide guidance to government agencies, health departments, academic institutions, foundations and faith institutions in support of the inclusion of faith leaders in the planning processes that shape health policy and resource allocations.
• Measure Outcomes: Provide monitoring and evaluation indicators and resources to measure program impact.

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