Our Story

A Journey to Safer Births for Every Mother and Newborn

One Heart Worldwide began with the simple yet powerful belief that every mother and newborn, no matter where they live, deserves access to safe, dignified, and culturally respectful care. Founded by Arlene Samen, a nurse practitioner dedicated to improving maternal and newborn health in underserved areas, One Heart Worldwide began in 1999 as a small pilot program in the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Over the next decade, Arlene’s vision laid the foundation for a lasting framework for safer births that would eventually become our Network of Care model in Nepal. 

In 2010, we initiated our program in Nepal. Since then, we have worked in close collaboration with the Government of Nepal to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare systems nationwide. For over 15 years, our programs have adapted to meet changing needs, respond to emergencies, and integrate impactful innovations. But our ultimate goal has never wavered: to ensure that mothers and their newborns survive and thrive. 

From the remote northern mountain communities to the plains of the south, we remain committed to building sustainable, community-based solutions that honor local knowledge and expand access to lifesaving care.

The History of One Heart Worldwide

  • Burgundy background color with text overlaid that says: "1999-2009 Laying the Foundation"

    1999-2009

  • One Heart Worldwide's first logo; a white flower with the text ONE H.E.A.R.T.

    1999

    Began piloting a unique community-based healthcare delivery system in Tibet. This later gets named the “Network of Safety”.

  • One Heart Worldwide's first logo; a white flower with the text ONE H.E.A.R.T.

    2004

    One H.E.A.R.T. is officially registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in the U.S.

  • A Tibetan mother and her newborn outdoors in winter clothing

    2009

    One H.E.A.R.T. stepped out of Tibet.

  • Burgundy background color with text overlaid that says: "2010-2015 Expanding Our Reach"

    2010-2015

  • 2010

    Rebranded as One Heart World-Wide and began operations in Nepal and Mexico

  • A photo of mothers and their children sitting outside of a health facility in Liberia.

    2010-2015

    Provided technical assistance in China, Liberia, Ecuador, and Peru.

  • A smiling mother holding up her baby for the camera in the mountains of Nepal.

    2011

    Registered as an NGO in Mexico and an INGO in Nepal

  • Our now Co-CEO, Surya Bhatta, in 2013 out in the field working with Female Community Health Volunteers where he trained them to become master trainers.

    2013

    Raised over $1 million USD for the first time.

  • Pregnant woman attending a prenatal check-up with a nurse in the Sierra Tarahumara region of Mexico.

    2014

    Stepped out of Mexico.

  • People setting up an emergency, temporary tent that will serve as a birthing center. The background of the photo features rubble of structures damaged in the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal.

    April 2015

    Deployed our first emergency response to support the Government of Nepal’s earthquake recovery program.

  • Orange background color with text overlaid that says: "2016-2021 Strengthening Systems in Nepal"

    2016-2021

  • Female Community Health Volunteers holding a banner after completion of an MNH training in 2018 in Nepal.

    2016-2021

    Expanded programs across Nepal, upgrading health facilities and training healthcare providers and local stakeholders.

  • OHW Kathmandu staff loading boxes of supply in a truck for transport to the rest of Nepal.

    2020-2021

    Deployed two rounds of emergency response to support the Government of Nepal in mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

  • Orange background color with text overlaid that says: "2022-2026 Scaling Impact and Innovation"

    2022-2026

  • A new mother who just delivered her newborn in an OHW upgraded health facility in Nepal.

    2023

    Reached 1 million mothers and newborns in Nepal with improved access to quality MNH care.

  • OHW staff member with a local stakeholder in Jajarkot District after the successful set-up of an emergency birthing tent that will serve as a health facility in the aftermath of a 5.7 magnitude earthquake.

    November 2023

    Deployed an emergency response to aid in the recovery from a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Jajarkot District, Karnali Province.

  • A Care Companion Program (CCP) trained Nurse preparing for CCP session at Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.

    2024

    Initiated partnership with Noora Health to introduce and implement the Care Companion Program (CCP) in Nepal.

  • Emergency relief items provided to women and their families in Sarlahi District outside of their local health facility.

    September 2024

    Responded to flooding and landslides impacting several eastern districts of Nepal.

  • Government officials and health professionals gathered outside of the new Maternla and Neonatal Simulation Lab that was installed in Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital in Kathamadnu.

    2025

    In partnership with USAID and Laerdal Global Health, inaugurated Nepal’s first-ever Maternal and Neonatal Simulation Lab – Center of Excellence at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital in Kathmandu.

  • The group of health professionals that helped ring in the inauguration of OHW's new training program at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital in Kathmandu.

    2025

    Designed and helped launch a groundbreaking simulation-based training program for Skilled Health Personnel and Skilled Birth Attendants at Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital in Kathmandu.

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