A platform to discover and volunteer for healthcare opportunities, connect with nonprofits, and locate healthcare facilities in regions most in need of critical care.

VFMatch is a technology platform that intelligently matches need and resources in the healthcare sector. Its primary goal is to reduce inefficiencies in the delivery of healthcare by matching the needs of underserved populations around the world with the resources of governments, non-profits, companies and individuals.

A byproduct of the Virtue Foundation Actionable Data Initiative, VF Match seeks to create a more efficient marketplace for the delivery of healthcare in under-served regions of the world. Born from years of on the ground medical missions, the project seeks to use predictive analytics and machine learning algorithms to analyze geospatial data, infrastructure, risk factors, and other environmental conditions to better predict need and match available resources.

Curated, Granular Data for Global Healthcare

VF Match provides detailed listings of verified nonprofit organizations, healthcare facilities, volunteer opportunities, and country-specific insights. With precise, curated data, the platform equips users to make informed decisions and contribute to impactful healthcare initiatives worldwide.

Nonprofit Organizations

VF Match offers a comprehensive and detailed listing of healthcare nonprofits, providing users with a wealth of granular information. Each nonprofit has its own dedicated profile page, showcasing key details such as the countries they operate in, their areas of focus, the types of healthcare services they offer, and their partnerships with local hospitals. The platform also includes additional features such as editorial reviews, photos, and links to their websites and social media, enabling users to explore the nonprofit's work in depth.

Nonprofits have direct access to their own portal on VF Match, allowing them to regularly update and validate their information, ensuring it's always current and accurate. Verified profiles are distinguished by a blue checkmark, indicating that the details have been confirmed by the organization itself. Whether you're looking to donate, volunteer, or simply learn more, VF Match makes it easy to connect with thousands of nonprofits working in underserved regions around the world.

Healthcare Facilities

VF Match provides a curated and comprehensive directory of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, clinics, and Community Health Planning Services (CHPS), offering detailed insights into their medical and surgical capabilities. Each facility profile provides granular information, such as the number of beds and physicians, the type of facility (public, private, or government), and the healthcare services offered.

Users can explore specifics like on-site services, including emergency rooms, operating rooms, ICUs, blood banks, and advanced imaging facilities. Exact map coordinates, along with photos of the facility, further enhance the transparency and accessibility of these listings. This allows individuals and organizations to find the right healthcare provider based on specific needs, ensuring they have access to the necessary medical resources in their region.

Volunteer Opportunities

VF Match is a trusted and curated listing of volunteer opportunities, provided directly by healthcare nonprofits. Each opportunity includes a detailed overview, outlining the specific professional skills required—whether you're a doctor, nurse, or assistant—as well as the types of healthcare services needed. Additional important details, such as required travel immunizations and language proficiency, are also provided to ensure volunteers are fully prepared.

Opportunities range from ongoing needs to specific medical trips scheduled for particular dates. Volunteers can easily browse through these listings, find the right fit for their skills and availability, and apply directly using the built-in form. By connecting with the nonprofits organizing these efforts, users can take meaningful steps toward making a positive impact in underserved communities around the world.

Insights

VF Match's Country Insight pages provide a comprehensive look at the healthcare landscape in various regions, offering a mix of general descriptions and in-depth statistics. Each page highlights critical healthcare indicators such as physician density, life expectancy, hospital bed density, and maternal mortality rates. These insights are designed to give a clear picture of the medical infrastructure and challenges in each country. Additionally, VF Match has contributed to the publication of numerous papers offering both micro and macro-level analyses, contributing valuable research to the global healthcare community and helping inform future improvements.

Technology Powering VF Match

VFMatch uses data analytics, machine learning, and geospatial modeling to connect global health needs with available resources. By integrating various datasets, the platform curates, analyzes, and visualizes healthcare information. This technological approach enables volunteers, nonprofits, and healthcare facilities to collaborate and make informed decisions based on data.

Data Sources

We gather data from multiple sources to ensure comprehensive and current information. These sources include international databases like the United Nations database for NGOs, healthcare facility data from OpenStreetMap humanitarian layers and government agencies, and online sources including social media, news articles, blog posts, and scientific articles. We maintain our own lists of nonprofits and healthcare facilities across 72 low and lower-middle-income countries.

Data Capture

Our data capture process involves automated systems that collect and index information from millions of web pages. We employ machine learning models to filter and classify data, helping to determine the legitimacy and healthcare focus of nonprofits and facilities. Geospatial techniques are used to analyze healthcare access. We enhance our data by integrating additional information such as land cover, road networks, travel speed data, elevation, and population distribution, among others.

Data Refresh

To ensure VF Match remains current, we routinely refresh our datasets by incorporating new organizations and facilities, while removing outdated information. We are constantly enhancing our automation processes to minimize manual reviews, enabling more frequent data updates. Our data architecture is built for adaptability, allowing us to expand to new regions.

Corporate Partnerships

VFMatch collaborates with corporate partners to enhance our mission of connecting healthcare resources with communities in need. These partnerships enable us to leverage advanced technologies and expertise, allowing us to improve our data processing, analytics, and visualization capabilities.

Databricks is a leading enterprise software company specializing in data analytics and AI. Serving over 6,000 global corporate customers, including more than 40% of the Fortune 500, Databricks helps organizations utilize their data effectively. With over 3,000 employees and a valuation above $40 billion, Databricks is a key player in the data and AI industry.

VFMatch utilizes Databricks for large-scale data processing and analytics. Databricks provides a unified platform that enables us to handle vast amounts of data efficiently. With its advanced data engineering capabilities, we can process and analyze complex datasets, which supports our machine learning models and data-driven insights. This helps us keep our information up-to-date and deliver accurate results to our users.

DataRobot is a leading AI platform founded in 2012 that automates machine learning for businesses, simplifying the creation and deployment of predictive models. Serving industries like finance and healthcare, it helps organizations make data-driven decisions. With over $1 billion in funding, DataRobot employs hundreds and serves thousands of customers globally. In 2023, DataRobot's revenue was approximately $226.1 million, reflecting its significant growth and market presence.

We employ DataRobot to build and deploy machine learning models that classify and predict healthcare needs. We develop models that filter and validate data on nonprofits and healthcare facilities leading to better identification of areas lacking healthcare access.

In October 2023, Dr. Joan LaRovere presented at the Spatial Data Science Conference in New York City, the largest event for data science, GIS & analytics professionals. This event brought together 800 data experts from around the globe to discuss the latest trends and innovative use cases across multiple industries.

CARTO is a top location intelligence platform, offering geospatial data analysis and visualization tools for over 1,200 organizations, including Google and Mastercard. Founded in 2012, it has approximately 298 employees and headquarters in New York, with additional offices globally. CARTO's estimated annual revenue is $46.5 million, backed by $92 million in total funding. Their platform supports industries like urban planning and retail, enhancing decision-making through spatial data insights.

Carto is vital for our geospatial mapping, especially through our use of the H3 hexagonal grid system. H3 allows us to divide geographic areas into hexagons, enabling precise and scalable spatial analysis. We also use Carto solutions to visualize healthcare accessibility, medical deserts, and other country-specific geospatial data layers.

Virtue Foundation speaking and showcasing VF Match at Data & AI Summit in San Francisco in June 2024.

Driving Global Innovation in Healthcare

While we've made great strides, our journey is just beginning. The complexity of healthcare systems varies significantly across regions, and we are committed to understanding these nuances. As we expand our platform to new geographies, we are integrating diverse data sources and uncovering insights that bring greater precision to our service offerings.

One of our key initiatives is the development of a proprietary Vulnerability Index, blending macro-level health statistics with highly granular data from targeted regions. By harnessing cutting-edge technologies, such as machine learning and satellite imagery, we can validate hospital locations, estimate facility sizes, and predict critical needs like bed availability. Additionally, real-time social media analytics will enable us to identify emerging health crises and mobilize resources where they are most urgently needed.

Through these innovations, we aim to create a truly global marketplace for healthcare services—facilitating faster, more efficient, and equitable healthcare delivery for all.

Join Our Mission

We are always seeking visionary corporate partners who are eager to make a lasting, positive impact on global healthcare. If you are ready to collaborate with us in driving forward this mission, we'd love to hear from you.