The United States and most developed countries take health and health care for granted. The World Health Organization (WHO) Constitution states that the highest attainable standard of health is a fundamental right of every human being. Despite this, WHO and the World Bank released the alarming statistics in 2015 that 400 million people across the world (especially those in developing countries) lack the most basic of access to health services.
Acute care, vaccines, preventative programs and chronic disease management are sometimes non-existent for more than 1 billion people are living in extreme poverty – less than $1.25 per day – and 2.2 billion living on less than $2 per day. The world’s poorest, most marginalized people are the most at risk in accessing health services.
Support for health services are central to many of GoPhil partnerships around the world and focus on these very poor, marginalized populations. Our goal is to raise $50,000 for various community health initiatives across our partnerships. To date we have raised a little over $20,000 of this.
Where and how are we focused on these critical health efforts?
Nutrition
Nutrition programs are critical in Guatemala, a country where at least 40% of children under five are severely malnourished. Our Guatemalan partner Primeros Pasos addresses this issue by helping moms learn to cook healthy, ensuring that school-aged children are in the best position to learn and grow. Alua Magica, our newest partner, is offering free preschool classes in rural areas which include a daily healthy snack to help mentallyand physically prepare previously disadvantaged rural children to be successful in the first grade and beyond.
Clinics
Health clinics provide services where access is limited because of poverty, transportation etc. Our partners ASSADE in rural Guatemala offers oral health programs to the under-served indigenous ethnic minority, a community not typically receiving any health education at all. The program also goes out into schools to teach healthy oral care practices.
Funding the “unsexy” budgetary line items
Staff salaries are something that are often not perceived as “sexy” in philanthropy. However, underwriting the salaries of health professionals in schools and shelters makes all the difference in the everyday lives of so many, especially when it comes to programs such as Asociación Centro Maya Servicio Integral which provides support to an often forgotten disabled population.
Pollution
Environmental health is another area we may take for granted but programs like Clean Energy Nepal (CEN) in Nepal fight to ensure that pollution is kept to as much a minimum as possible.
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UPCOMING JOURNEY TO GUATEMALA
About a dozen travelers will be traveling to Guatemala with GoPhil on July 22 to learn first-hand about three of these inspiring community health programs as well as learn more about the Mayan culture and some of the daunting issues facing the country. Watch for information about our journey over the course of the summer or go to our Community Health Services campaign page now to support these critical efforts.