Our Priorities

Every day Bridges to Healing provides physical and mental health care services to hundreds of children living in institutional care settings in Bolivia and Tanzania.  We focus our work in three main areas. 

First, children and young adults suffering from chronic and rare diseases and conditions like HIV/AIDS, Sickle Cell Anemia, Chagas Disease, Zika, tumors, asthma, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and many others.  

Second, children and young adults with disabilities like down syndrome, blindness, deafness, hydrocephaly and psychiatric illness. 

Third, we provide health care to young women fleeing gender-based violence.

We believe that, whenever safe and possible, young people should live with their parent(s) or relatives. To that end, Bridges to Healing also provides funding for community health workers to provide physical and mental health support to single mothers of disabled children.  And we provide resources to support efforts to reduce female genital mutilation and child marriage in the areas where we work.

Jim DeHarpporte, Catholic Relief Services (retired)

Dr. Florence Gillman, PhD

Dr. John Gillman, PhD

Karen Reilly 

Patrick Reilly 

Dr. Spencer Rickwa, DO

Erin Rickwa, MSW-Executive Director