From Midnight Musings to Global Movement
The next morning, instead of dismissing her midnight brainstorm as too ambitious, Tania ‘raised her hand’ and sought permission to launch a campaign. To her surprise, she got the green light.
"My idea was that we're around a billion people and there must be a billion people out there that think like me, that believe like me in a world where we work for everyone to have equal opportunities," Tania explains in this Impactpool Podcast Episodet alongside Sandra Sorial, Director of Campaigns at the WHO Foundation.
What started as one person's response to uncertainty quickly snowballed into something much bigger. Within days, the campaign was raising $10,000 daily. Tania's 10-year-old son Leonardo snapped a photo of his mother with her unity finger raised, a gesture that would become the movement's symbol.
Why Every Dollar and Every Voice Matters
The One World Movement isn't just about fundraising; it's about something deeper. As Sandra Sorial puts it, "Individual giving is the best democratization of funding. The public supports, they choose which cause is close to their heart, and they can make it or break it."
Unlike government funding or corporate grants that come with strings attached, individual donations offer something precious: flexibility. A dollar donated today could fund mental health training in Malawi tomorrow, or deliver trauma kits to conflict zones in Somalia next week. This agility allows WHO to respond rapidly to emergencies and invest in programs that traditional donors might overlook.
But perhaps more importantly, each donation, whether it's one dollar from a high school student or twenty thousand from a wealthy supporter, represents a voice standing up for global health solidarity. Supporters leave messages like "My government doesn't represent me right now, but I still want to make a stand" and "Thank you for your work, keep doing what you're doing."
Beyond Borders: Why Multilateralism Matters to You
In an era of increasing nationalism, why should individuals care about supporting a global health organization? Tania offers a compelling answer: "WHO benefits my son, benefits your son, Sandra's daughter in the same way as it benefits someone in Uganda or Yemen or Peru."
Every time you visit a pharmacy and trust that your medication is safe, you're benefiting from WHO's work coordinating global health standards. When tobacco consumption drops by one-third in 20 years, that's multilateral cooperation in action. When a new disease emerges and gets rapidly identified and contained before becoming a pandemic, that's the result of countries working together through WHO.
"Simply because there are actions or diseases that happen in one country that end up affecting other countries," Tania explains. "It's important that we all agree on the way we name diseases, monitor their spread, have a common database, and capitalize on research from one member state."
The Ripple Effect: How Small Actions Create Big Change
Since launching, the WHO Foundation has raised over $5 million from 40,000 individual donors. The $1 One World campaign alone has generated over half a million dollars from more than 10,000 supporters. But the impact goes beyond numbers.
The movement has inspired university students to launch their own crowdfunding campaigns for research projects. People with zero social media presence, like Taniai herself, have become digital advocates. Retirees and young professionals alike have reached out asking how they can contribute their skills.
A New Gateway to Global Health Careers
The movement is also creating unexpected pathways for those interested in global health careers. "One of the feedback I received... was young people or even retirees of WHO or very high-level technical experts essentially coming towards me to say, can we help? Are there opportunities, and can we collaborate?" Tania shares.
This surge in public engagement is reshaping how WHO thinks about talent and recruitment. As the organization evolves to meet modern challenges, from artificial intelligence to social media engagement, it needs diverse skill sets beyond traditional medical and epidemiological expertise.
"I had zero social media skills, right? And clearly that's super important for individual giving," Tania admits. "These are all relatively new skills that even WHO needs." The organization now seeks economists, data scientists, social media experts, and managers who can handle everything from big data sets to complex budgets.
Sandra adds that donors who contribute are "more likely to engage further because they've invested in the organization. They're going to educate themselves, they're going to advocate, they're going to perhaps volunteer and eventually become ambassadors to health equity."
This creates a virtuous cycle: public engagement through donation leads to deeper involvement, which cultivates a new generation of global health advocates, some of whom may eventually join WHO or other UN agencies, bringing fresh perspectives and modern skills to tackle age-old challenges.
Your Turn: Be Part of Something Bigger
The beauty of the One World Movement lies in its radical simplicity. You don't need to be a major decision-maker, an industry leader, or a senior in your role to make a difference. As Sandra emphasizes, "You as an individual, as a parent, as a young person, can actually make a difference."
Whether you contribute one dollar or set up a monthly donation, your support does more than fund programs, it sends a message. It says that global health cooperation matters, that every voice counts, and that we're stronger when we work together.
As Tania puts it, channelling her inner economist: "What would one dollar mean for a billionaire sitting on Lake Geneva? We encourage all of that, but also just remembering this can be as big as we make it."
Ready to Join the Movement?
The One World Movement proves that transformative ideas don't always come from boardrooms or policy summits. Sometimes they emerge during sleepless nights, from people who dare to ask "what if?" and have the courage to act on their convictions.
Make your voice heard. Make your dollar count.
Visit www.oneworldhealthforall.org today and join the movement.
Because when it comes to global health, we truly are one world, and every contribution, no matter how small, brings us closer to health for all.
Listen to the full Impactpool Podcast episode featuring Tania Cernuschi and Sandra Sorial to hear more about the One World Movement and the future of global health solidarity.