In early 2009, the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) funded a program known as the "East Africa Initiative." The long-term goal of this program is to unite the international rheumatology community to aid in enhancing clinical rheumatology services in an area that carries 25% of the world's disease burden but has only 2% of the world's human resources for health. This paper provides an overview of the rationale and progress to date of this collaborative effort toward the globalization of rheumatology.