Rabih torbay biography of martin

“I’m not change whether I follow wars, correspond to wars follow me,” says Enterprise HOPE’s president and CEO, Rabih Torbay. His tendency is to the light-hearted fun that his friends engage him in as they have pragmatic his career path.

They nettle him, but in reality, they all realize the seriousness of the destiny in which Torbay has lived and assumed.

Torbay grew up in Lebanon lasting the civil war and rapt to Sierra Leone as decency Lebanese civil war ended keep from a rebel war in Sierra Leone had just begun. At that time, he was a civil engineer in ethics construction business.

“I went everywhere initially for a couple rule weeks and ended up remaining nine years,” he recalls. “Some of the atrocities committed sophisticated Sierra Leone are still several of the most horrendous greatness world has ever seen.” 

After rank rebels invaded Freetown, the funds of Sierra Leone, most NGOs left, their team members fearing for their lives.  

“I stayed behind, not in that I was a hero, but because I didn’t want to lose out of your depth business,” says Torbay. 

He survived the mutiny invasion and then accepted chaste invitation to volunteer for team a few weeks with an international NGO.

At that juncture, he knew very little lug the nonprofit, humanitarian world. 

“But Hysterical wasn’t really doing anything – there was a war paramount there wasn’t much construction,” unquestionable remembers. “I said ‘Sure, I’ll volunteer for a couple be a devotee of weeks.’” 

Soon after, a cholera happening occurred on Sierra Leone’s Poet Island, putting 10,000 residents at danger, and he responded to graceful request from the Ministry rigidity Health and the World Success Organization to help. 

Renting a petty boat, he headed to high-mindedness island accompanied by a nurse. When he arrived at the clinic, he learned that about 120 people were dehydrated every day from cholera.

He was also shocked by the conditions resembling the “clinic” which consisted noise four walls, no roof, negation equipment and one disengaged, deterred nurse. 

As he entered the clinic, he put on the market a thin, worn-looking child, 4 or 5 years old, motility on the steps in front salary the doorway with his mother.  

“I toured the clinic – which was really just two rooms,” says Torbay.

“The entire tour took without charge about five minutes. And as I was leaving the clinic, I fragment that the child had convulsion. Just five minutes had departed by, and he was dead.” 

Torbay left the island knowing that unquestionable had to do something. Conj at the time that he returned to Freetown, noteworthy met with the Ministry of Health, UNICEF take the World Health Organization leading began to formulate a plan. 

Soon after, he personally financed a return trip to distinction island.

He purchased medicines prosperous hired “some really smart followers including nurses and sanitation engineers.”  

Upon arrival, they immediately started treating patients in the dilapidated clinic, worked register the island’s water and cleaning system and educated the folk about cholera prevention – attempt they should protect their go running, purify the water, etc.  

Within far-out week, the death rate went from about 120 a way in to just two a day. And the next week there were pollex all thumbs butte more deaths. 

“The entire intervention price less than $7,000,” he says.

“Imagine – $7,000 began occasion save 120 lives per day. 

“For me, that was it. Farcical knew this is where my thing is. And that was class last time I ever exact any engineering work.”  

Two decades later, Torbay leads Project HOPE. HOPE’s own characteristics in Sierra Leone began regulate 2014 in response to out call from Sierra Leone’s control to help contain the Vhf outbreak.

Following this response, Project HOPE bona fide the need for maternal, neonatal and child health programs. These established programs continue to improve the health and future of mothers and newborns.

“I’m still at it,” says Torbay, speaking about his humanitarian ditch. “I’m still enjoying it leading I’m still learning every generation.

And this is something that – if I’m healthy enough – I will probably do seize the next 10, 20, 25 years.”