On 7 April World Health Day is celebrated, marking the foundation of the World Health Organisation (WHO).Each year, WHO selects a key health issue, and encourages people around the world to hold events that highlight the significance of this issue for good health and well-being. World Health Day is also an opportunity for communities across the world to come together for one day to promote actions that can improve our health.
This year’s theme is antimicrobial resistance and its global spread. We live in an era in which we depend on antibiotics, and other antimicrobial medicines, to treat infectious diseases. When antimicrobial resistance - also known as drug resistance - occurs, it renders these medicines ineffective. For World Health Day 2011, WHO will be calling for intensified global commitment to safeguard these medicines for future generations.
While safeguarding the effectiveness of medicines is imperative, many other aspects of global health must also be addressed. People living in poverty are particularly vulnerable to ill health because they can’t afford nutritious food or safe drinking water, let alone have access to medical services. In India, 2.1 million children under five die annually, usually from preventable diseases. In fact, seven out of ten of these deaths are caused by diarrhoea, pneumonia, measles, malnutrition or a combination of these causes. Escaping the poverty trap is much harder for those people with poor health. Therefore, improving health is essential for sustained economic and social development.
At Opportunity we partner with microfinance institutions (MFIs) in India, Indonesia and the Philippines to enable people to break the cycle of poverty, and in turn, the cycle of poor health. Through the provision of small loans people can start a small business or grow an existing one. With the extra income earned, families can afford to access the basic necessities for good health and save extra income for unexpected medical expenses. Furthermore, many of our MFI partners take a holistic approach to alleviating poverty and offer their clients additional services to microfinance, such as health education sessions.
If you would like to help a family start a business and lift themselves out of poverty so they can ensure their health, please click here.
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