Throughout history, portions of the world's population have often experienced sustained periods of hunger. According to the WFP (World Food Program) some statistics are that, "Some 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That's about one in nine people on earth. The vast majority of the world's hungry people live in developing countries, where 12.9 percent of the population is undernourished.
Malnutrition increases the risk of infection and infectious disease, and moderate malnutrition weakens every part of the immune system. For example, it is a major risk factor in the onset of active tuberculosis. Protein and energy malnutrition and deficiencies of specific micronutrients increase susceptibility to infection. Malnutrition affects HIV transmission by increasing the risk of transmission from mother to child and also increasing replication of the virus.
The majority of cancer patients suffer from nutritional deficits. Up to 90 percent of patients with cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and 60 percent of those with lung cancer experience some degree of malnutrition. Research indicates that well-nourished patients tend to tolerate treatment better, have fewer complications and recuperate
faster than patients who are malnourished.
We design our nutrition programs to create long-term, systemic change in the places where we work. That means working closely with communities to ensure activities in and around hospitals, rehabilitation centers and NGOs, are sustained for many years after Help to Heal Foundation's intervention. We work with communities early in project planning and share costs to establish local ownership, as well as equipping them with the knowledge and skills to continue activities around hospitals and rehabilitation centers, related to nutrition and food security.
We also work in partnership with, grass root NGOs to scale effective food security.
Initiatives for very poor and needy patients. To enable this, we use replicable interventions based on global research and best-practices. These partnerships ensure that we complement the efforts of grass root NGOs, sustain and scale programs in specified geography.
Shortages of essential drugs are becoming increasingly frequent globally, burdening health systems with additional costs and posing risks to the health of patients who fail to receive the medicines they need.The problem has received increasing attention in recent years.
Shortages of essential medicines exist in high-, middle- and low-income countries. They are expensive for health systems to manage, causing additional costs for replacement of medicines and absorbing significant staff time. Medicines shortages pose risks for patient health as a result of non-treatment, under-treatment and possible medication errors from attempts to substitute missing medicines.
Exceedingly high prices are making some patented medicines unaffordable for health systems. Measures to ensure affordability is of much concern, for example for antiretrovirals a decade ago, and more recently for cancer treatments and new medicines to treat tuberculosis & hepatitis C.We also work in partnership with, grass root NGOs to scale effective food security.
At the other end of the spectrum, the low prices of certain off-patent medicines are contributing to medicines shortages. For example, methotrexate is crucial to the treatment of many oncological and immunological conditions, yet it has been reported as in short supply repeatedly. Help to Heal Foundation endeavor to ensure that patients get necessary medicines and the treatment is not jeopardized due to lack of medicines.
Resource Organizations : At grass root level there are numerous organizations that play a critical role of being a resource hub. These organizations have expertise in various areas of development, expertise that could enhance the quality of smaller, newer initiatives. These resource organizations work towards building the capacities of Help to Heal Foundation. These organizations build capacities through partnering with doctors, pharmaceutical companies, nursing homes etc. They also play a vital role in policy influencing efforts at the macro level.
Nodal Agencies : While we reach out to many organizations working at the grassroots level, there are thousands more that require support. We can never reach out to all of them. That's the reason we felt the need for nodal agencies. A nodal agency is an organization that offers both financial and non-financial inputs to smaller initiatives in the same geographical region. The creation and support of nodal agencies allows us to increase our reach at the grassroots level, without a corresponding increase in infrastructure and personnel.
For communities, inadequate shelter and overcrowding are major factors in the transmission of diseases with epidemic potential such as acute respiratory infections, meningitis, cholera, etc. Outbreaks of disease are more frequent and more severe when the population density is high.
Other public structures such as health facilities not only represent a concentrated area of patients but also a concentrated area of germs. In an emergency, the number of hospital-associated infections typically rise. Decreasing overcrowding by providing extra facilities and a proper organization of the sites or services in health-care facilities is a priority.
Poor housing conditions have a long-term impact on health, increasing the risk of severe ill-health or disability by up to 25 per cent during childhood and early adulthood. Homeless patients are three to four times more likely to have mental health problems, even one year after being re housed. Children living in overcrowded housing are up to 10 times more likely to contract meningitis, and as many as one in three people who grow up in overcrowded housing have respiratory problems in adulthood. Patients living in damp, mouldy homes are between one and a half and three times more prone to coughing and wheezing - symptoms of asthma and other respiratory conditions - than patients living in dry homes. There may also be a link between increased mortality and overcrowding.
Help to Heal Foundation's role as an enabler has determined our strategic choices at every juncture - from the fundraising methods we employ, to the nature of our relationship with the NGOs we partner, to provide shelter to needy patients.
Help to Heal Foundation's interventions are designed to include;
Our partnership takes the form of;
Promoting awareness of community health issues and preventative action is a vital part of our Foundation's mission and impact. Through the generosity of our donors and engagement of healthcare professionals and volunteers, the community is provided with helpful and hopeful information and assistance.
Health is the state of fulfilled physical, mental, psychological, and social needs, allowing an individual to flourish. Instead of implying the absence of injury or disease, health indicates a wholeness and wellness of self. Public health is a movement for every person to achieve that state, ensuring the health of our communities. We seek to approach the issue from the angles of mental, sexual, and environmental health. We believe these approaches best empower us to foster a conversation about public health while also providing meaningful service that all people can connect with in our local community.
