Hesperian Health Guides

Hesperian Health Guides, formerly known as Hesperian Foundation, is a nongovernmental non-profit organization publishing health guides for trained and untrained people to care for themselves and others. The foundation is based in Berkeley, California. Among their best-selling publications is Where There is No Doctor, first published in 1973 and updated every few years. The book has been translated to more than 80 languages and the World Health Organization estimates that it may be the most widely used public health manual in the world.

Hesperian's publications are known for their simplicity of expression and illustrations, both intended to make them suitable for use by ordinary people in home and community contexts. Where There is No Doctor was praised by those who felt it "demystified and politicized health care," communicating that "although some health problems require expert medical attention, there is much that we can do on our own to positively affect our health," a message also communicated in subsequent works. As of 2011, the organization had a rating of four out of four stars from Charity Navigator for the efficient use of donated funds.

Hesperian often works with other organizations to create new publications and revise older ones. The short work Water for Life: Community Water Security was published in conjunction with the United Nations Development Program. In 2006, Hesperian received a US$40,000 grant from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund to develop a book on environmental health, and in 2004 the Firelight Foundation provided a small grant to fund the revision of the 1999 book HIV, Health, and Your Community.

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