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 in 1999 by Arlene Samen, a nurse practitioner dedicated to improving maternal and newborn health in underserved areas, One Heart Worldwide began 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 Safety 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

  • A community health session outdoors in a mountain valley in Tibet, where a young woman shows birth supplies to several parents and children seated on the grass.

    1999

    Began piloting a unique community-based safe motherhood project in Tibet.

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

    2004

    Registered One H.E.A.R.T. (Health, Education, and Research in Tibet) as a 501(c)(3)

  • A Tibetan mother and her newborn outdoors in winter clothing

    2009

    Due to the political climate, transferred program ownership to Tibetan staff and stepped out of Tibet.

  • Burgundy background color with text overlaid that says: "2010-2015 Refining Our Model"

    2010-2015

  • The original One Heart World-Wide logo, showing a stylized mother and child forming a heart above the organization's name.

    2010

    Rebranded as One Heart World-Wide and began piloting new programs in Nepal and Mexico

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

    2011-2015

    Refined our Network of Safety Model to address the lack of access to MNH care and provided technical assistance in China, Liberia, Ecuador, and Peru.

  • 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

    Set a target of 36 underserved districts for our model in collaboration with the Government of Nepal

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

    2014

    Transferred the Mexican Program to a local NGO and stepped out of Mexico to focus on the growth of the Nepal program.

  • 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 Expanding Our Reach"

    2016-2021

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

    2016

    Started onboarding 4 new districts every year, expanding our programs across Nepal, upgrading health facilities, and training healthcare providers and local stakeholders.

  • A nurse practices delivery skills on a training manikin during a One Heart Worldwide simulation-based mentoring session in Myagdi District, with a banner and clinical guidelines displayed behind her.

    2018

    Began incorporating quality of care interventions into our model, which led to the development of our Simulation-Based Mentorship Program for Skilled Birth Attendants in 2019.

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

    2020-2021

    Provided sector leadership by serving on Nepal's national COVID-19 task force, mobilizing $22M in medical supplies, & adapting the Network of Safety to launch telehealth, provider training, & a helpline that sustained maternal & newborn care through lockdowns.

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

    2022-Present

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

    2023

    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.

    2023

    Integrated local NGOs as implementation partners.

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

    2024

    Expanded the Network of Safety through a partnership with Noora Health to adapt and implement the Care Companion Program (CCP) in Nepal, improving maternal and newborn health outcomes by training family caregivers to bridge hospital and home care during the critical days after delivery.

  • A trained nurse performs an obstetric ultrasound on a pregnant woman at a rural health facility in Kalikot, the scan visible on a portable ultrasound machine beside them.

    2024

    Launched a Rural Ultrasound Community of Practice with five African countries to increase access to ultrasound scans during pregnancy by promoting basic ultrasound training for rural health providers.

  • Sibylle Kristensen and Surya Bhatta, Co-CEOs of One Heart Worldwide, smiling together at a table.

    2024

    Launched our co-CEO leadership model.

  • 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 nationwide. 

  • 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

    Inaugurated Nepal’s first-ever Maternal and Neonatal Simulation Lab in partnership with the Government of Nepal and Laerdal Global Health.

  • A young woman in a purple headscarf stands and looks toward the camera, outside a home in a rural village.

    2026

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

  • A Female Community Health Volunteer uses an illustrated counseling flip chart to explain maternal health danger signs to two women during a home visit.

    2026

    Launched the first perinatal health component of our model and started incorporating climate resilience into our model.

Looking Ahead

Our history is just the beginning. As we look toward the future, we remain committed to strengthening Nepal’s maternal and newborn health system and reaching even the most remote communities with dignified, lifesaving care.

Explore Our Work
See our Impact