GOOD NEWS

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In which John visits Sierra Leone's Kono District for the first time since Covid and is astonished by the progress, the hope, and how far we still have to go. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone who is working on the MCOE, who is strengthening the healthcare system in Sierra Leone, and also everyone who has donated, or joined the sock club, or bought soap, or spread the word about the ongoing global maternal mortality crisis. Really, thanks to all of you. Look what humans can do together.

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[vlogbrothers]

THANK YOU ALL for being part of this extraordinary project. Here's to more Good News Rooms in Kono and beyond. Ways to help/more info:

I am so, so grateful for this community. Thanks for being here with us. -John

[nefrone]

I was a construction worker with a drug problem six years ago when I started studying philosophy by watching Crash course: Philosophy. I've been donating regularly since the sock club started and I had the extra income. I'm now finishing my freshman year as a philosophy major. This really hit me hard. I'm crying. Thank you everyone.

[amberbydreamsart]

after watching a few videos on the terrible, ineffective 'help' many mission trips provide to the places they go, i needed this. the reminder that helping communities is possible, you just need to listen, and respond to the real needs. I love seeing all these people who have found work they can continue to do for the rest of their lives and who can use it now to create the structures they will need in the future.

[DarbeeShayne]

As a NICU momma, this hit hard. My baby would've died. We were lucky that she was in the Good News Room. Wishing this for parents everywhere.

[Olife]

I was a baby who needed specialized care. My parents drove all night through a blizzard to get me to the hospital that kept me alive. That was more than 40 years ago, and I'm so glad the special babies of the Kono district in Sierra Leone can receive the world class care they need, too.

[tylerlivingston]

"It's simply not acceptable. But also, we don't have to accept it."

So much of the inequities and injustices of our time are NOT inevitable. They are the result of the choices we collectively make as a society. Thank you John, for showing me hope that things can get better, if we choose to make them so.

[estherkuhn]

I work for a development organization in West Africa. Last week a colleague and his wife in Northern Sierra Leone lost their baby three days after birth because of the bad maternal and newborn health situation: the clinic staff didn't react to symptoms of deteriorating health and they didn't have enough resources once the parents managed to alert them. I'm upset but this video gives so much hope. Thanks John and all the supporters!

[amyberger]

“Hope is NOT crazy!” Thank you to everyone who has a part in actualizing this good news. Onward in hope!

[emmagrace]

I sobbed throughout this whole video. When this project first started, I formed a PIH Engage group on my college campus raising money for this specific goal. I remember telling everyone in my life over and over that one in 17 women in Sierra Leone will die in pregnancy or childbirth. God, I’m so glad that number is changing.

COVID killed my little Engage team only a year after I started it, but this project and PIH changed the direction of my life irreversibly. I’m halfway through my master’s degree in public health, and that’s a path that I don’t know if I would have taken if not for the work of Hank and John, PIH, and this community. I’m so proud to be a part of this. DFTBA!

[MJeanzy]

I am a nurse and a longtime nerdfighter and I am just sitting here SOBBING at what profound and important work this is. I'm so happy and proud to be a part of this community.

[yuvalne]

"this is the good news room" genuinely made me cry. I am just so proud of this community and just so happy to hear how far we came.

[emthelibrarian]

I'm crying on my break at work over "this is the good news room." So proud to be a part of this community that pays attention.

[TheOneAndOnlyTorford]

When my husband and I started supporting this project, we had no idea that our own journey to parenthood would’ve been deadly had we not been supported by maternal and fetal health specialists. This project has changed our lives and we will continue to support it for as long as we can.

[ohHeyyyKidd]

Unexpectedly, "this is the good news room" made me burst into tears. I'm so proud of you and Nerdfighteria for making this happen!

[CantPostThis]

My mom died a couple years ago, and my middle daughter was missing her tonight. My mom was a maternity nurse way back, so watching this together and making a donation was a great way to turn sorrow into something positive and hopeful. Thanks for always caring.

[ryandonnell]

I don’t think we could find a better video to override that 4 minute rule, this video made my day! I’m so glad we helped you and Hank with this, it’s been one of the greatest joys. That’s great to hear, when people do come together change DOES happen.

[TheStrugglefish]

@4:00 That subtle smile, filled with pride, as Marie says "and now, I'm a welder" is so powerful!

[KoroWerks]

Thank you for reminding us that Good things happen slowly over long periods of time, with incremental progress and collective effort.

Thank you.

[morganburt]

like, come on. if you told me back in 2013 that these goofy nerds on youtube would help raise $40 million dollars to build a world-class maternal hospital in sierra leon there’s no way i’d believe you. this is the best community and im so damn proud to be a part of it. clearly not forgetting to be awesome

[alexandriaglumb]

I just got home from what is hopefully my last prenatal appointment before I have my baby later this week. I am so thrilled and excited that other moms are able to start receiving similar care and that they can start coming to the Drs with confidence that they and their babies will be well. And I’m so glad we’ve been in a position to contribute to this project from the beginning!