( CNN ) -- Lovemore Mupfukura , a 30-year-old from Zimbabwe who studied health education , moves deliberately and concentrates on conversations like they 're chess matches . Rithika Mathias , a 25-year-old chemist and musician from Massachusetts , walks quickly and can carry on multiple conversations simultaneously . One year ago , they did n't know each other . Now , as colleagues , roommates and confidants , they are working to become leaders of our next big social movement -- the fight for health equity . Lovemore and Rithika work side by side out of identical , windowless offices at Covenant House 's Crisis Center in Newark , New Jersey . As health counselors , they are in charge of the medical intake and well-being of 40 homeless youth . The only part of their demanding day that is consistent is the morning -- they are greeted with a hug when they get to work . The two were placed at Covenant House by Global Health Corps . Founded in 2009 , GHC 's mission is to mobilize young leaders from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds to promote global health equity . GHC recruits and trains emerging leaders , then places them in one of seven countries to work with a health non-profit or government office for a yearlong fellowship in order to strengthen and learn from the organization . This week , Lovemore and Rithika will complete their year of service and become GHC alumni as a new class of 106 fellows joins the movement to serve with 44 partner organizations . Our advocacy for health equity is fueled by the belief that access to quality health care is a human right . At GHC , we believe the poor , who are burdened the most by disease , deserve our highest quality of care . We know many of the 1.7 million deaths from HIV/AIDS worldwide can be prevented with better access to antiretroviral medicine . We are motivated by the overwhelming costs of health care for the poor and the fact that more than 60 % of bankruptcies in the U.S. are caused by medical expenses . These challenges are daunting , but can be met . We at GHC believe the following four principles are vital to the movement 's success : . 1 . Young people should be at the center of this cause . More undergraduate students in North America are linking arms and demanding global health curricula while building up community organizing skills . GlobeMed , a nonprofit founded in 2007 by students at Northwestern University that partners with grassroots health organizations around the world , has spread to 55 universities and is joined by several new health organizations . Yet , a scarcity of opportunities and lack of a supportive global health community keeps too many skilled young professionals from fulfilling their potential after college . It 's a moral imperative to provide young people opportunities in the global health space . 2 . The leaders must be global . GHC has a partnership model where one fellow is always paired with an international fellow . We see our 90 current fellows , who come from 12 countries , sharing challenges and ideas daily , via social media , impromptu gatherings and in-person retreats . The exchange of best practices in this globally connected social movement is not just from the U.S. outward . It is a collaboration that has no boundaries . For example , our fellows at Partners In Health 's PACT program in Boston improved care for low-income HIV patients by adopting best practices from community health worker programs implemented in rural Haiti and Rwanda . 3 . Complex challenges require diverse skills . Doctors and nurses are vital to the movement for health equity but our next transformational leaders could be from non-traditional health fields such as computer science , economics , or communications . This year , GHC fellows with architecture backgrounds , working with the MASS Design Group in Rwanda , oversaw the construction of hospitals that use the latest theories of design for efficient care . Our new class of fellows represents 45 fields of expertise . 4 . Organizations must take a humble approach . We should stand with , and learn from , those we seek to serve . Health programs should be staffed and led by those in the community who are being served . We should also work in partnership with both the public and private sectors to reach more people . Without these partnerships we will fail . After the fellowship , Lovemore will partner with another GHC alum in Zimbabwe to establish an organization to serve orphans and other at-risk youth . Rithika will study medicine at UCLA and focus on community health . After providing care to hundreds of at-risk youth and receiving hundreds of morning hugs this year , they are ready to lead in the movement for health equity . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Barbara Bush and Andrew Bentley .
Barbara Bush , Andrew Bentley : Join us in the fight for health equity . Bush , Bentley : We believe that access to health care for all is a human right . They say young leaders can participate in Global Health Corps to help the world . Score: 6