What is World Health?

An organization. A set of compelling health statistics. A group of people working together to improve the health of others. World health, on the surface, seems simple and easy to understand. In reality, it is constantly changing. That change is what has empowered over 59 million public health specialists to improve the health of 7 billion people. One day that people around the world come together to recognize the importance of health is World Health Day. Each year that celebration comes on April 7th - the day the World Health Organization was founded. In honor of World Health Day this past weekend, we wanted bring you some fast facts about global health.

Fact One: Pneumonia and diarrheal diseases are the two biggest killers of children under 5 years. These two illnesses make up about 15% of all deaths from 2008. Africa and South-East Asia have the highest numbers of deaths from pneumonia and diarrheal diseases yet the majority of child deaths from pneumonia could be avoided with proper treatment for the most vulnerable and at-risk populations. Treatments include the use of oral rehydration therapy and zinc for diarrhea.

Fact Two: The number of new HIV cases worldwide is decreasing. But because people with HIV are living longer the total number of HIV infected people is actually increasing. In 2009, the worldwide number of people living with HIV was about 33 million people – about a 25% increase since 2001. Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is responsible for helping patients live longer and is available to nearly 6 million people around the world. Progress has been made but treatment coverage rates are still low in low and middle- income countries.

Fact Three: Even in this decade, there is still a long way to go before most people in the world have access to safe water and adequate hygiene. Nearly 884 million people still rely on water sources like unprotected wells and springs. 2.6 billion people do not have a connection to public sewers or septic systems, including 1.1 billion people without access to toilets.

Fact Four: Chronic diseases are on the rise. Illnesses like diabetes and chronic heart disease are not just affecting people in developed countries but also underdeveloped countries. The causes include unhealthy diet, eating too much, lack of physical activity, smoking, and excessive alcohol.

Paul Farmer wrote, “If access to health care is considered a human right, who is considered human enough to have that right?” It’s an important question as we reflect on world health. The people most in need of public health are the at-risk, marginalized and chronically poor of the world. The week as we reflect on what world health truly means, we should celebrate the amazing successes in world health – and recommit ourselves as we still have a very long road ahead.

Are you woman wise?

Thursday March 8^th marks the 101^st International Women's Day that celebrates women’s progress and rally against inequality. It is a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women. Thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate their achievements.  This week, The TARA Project will be focusing on women leading up to International Women’s Day.

Why the fuss?  Consider this…

From a health perspective:

• This decade, women's life expectancy at birth is more than 80 years in developed countries, but only 54 years in sub-Saharan Africa
• Half a million maternal deaths every year occur in developing countries – many preventable with proper care

From an education perspective:

•          Women make up nearly two thirds of the world’s 759 million illiterate adults
•          Access to university-level education is very unequal in sub-Saharan Africa where only 67 girls per 100 boys are enrolled in education at the university level

The TARA Project has many initiatives that support women and their children through health, education and economic opportunity.  Please visit our website or Face Book page to learn more. And stay tuned for more facts that will help you be woman wise.

For more information about International Women’s Day please visit:  http://www.internationalwomensday.com/default.asp.  

How to build a pharmacy for 33₵

Okay, so really it’s 33₵ a day for 10 months but still it’s less than a cup of coffee a week.  You’re probably sitting at your desk nodding, “I can afford that – I should totally do it.”

Yet despite great intentions, most won’t get involved.  Everyone’s so busy and stretched really thin.  A lot of folks don’t fully understand global poverty issues.  So we hope you’ll  give us 15 seconds to share with you why we care about this so much and how easy it is to change things:


- 21 children under 5 die every minute from treatable illnesses
   Think about a child in your own life and the future you hope for them


- Almost half of the 1.8 million deaths of children under five each year are from malaria, pneumonia and
  diarrhea – totally treatable diseases

-Lifesaving treatment costs as little as $4

Access to medicines can save a life and so we’re building the community’s first pharmacy! 

We’ve got the building and the pharmacy professional; we just need you to help us stock it.


We know you’re busy but we’ll hope you join us.  It’s SO easy:
1. Get a jar
2. Put your spare change in it
3. Count the change each quarter and write a check
4. Put the check in addressed/stamped envelope we send you
5. Put it in the mail

Five simple steps to saving a life.
Now is the time.  If everyone who thinks “I should do this” does it, we’ll have a pharmacy this time next year.  If most folks think, “I’ll do it later” or “I’m sure they’ve got enough folks” then we might miss the opportunity to help children have a healthy childhood and a vibrant future. 

Send us an email if you’d like to be part of this amazing story:  amy@taraproject.org.  We just need your mailing address so we can send you the envelope each quarter.

Thank you for helping us by investing in a pharmacy that will ensure healthy futures.

Introducing TARA's In-Country Project Team

Because TARA is dedicated to finding sustainable, community-driven solutions, the in-country project team also reflects this commitment. So to start, I would like to introduce our team at Kirongo—those devoting so much time to ensure we achieve “home-grown” success.

Bernard Ouma has served as the Project Manager at Kirongo since 2007. He and his wife, Eunice, have four sons: Jacob (10), Derricks (6), Paul (5) and Fidel (2). Bernard demonstrates a unique and unwavering commitment to the wellbeing of his community; his full support has made all the difference in accomplishing prenatal care project aims. Bernard provides oversight to the field staff and teachers at Kirongo Rainbow School and has served as the chief “gatekeeper” as we engage community members in the project.

The field staff at Kirongo—Melkio Otieno and Daniel Onuonga—have also played an instrumental role in reaching out to community women and facilitating work with their Self-Help Groups. These guys are truly change agents in the effort to alleviate poverty. They “pound the pavement” so-to-speak (that is, in the absence of pavement) to provide technical assistance to groups on their numerous agricultural and small enterprise initiatives. Together, they are responsible for outreach and support to 15 Self-Help Groups spread across a 16-sq km area.

Melkio has served as field staff for Kirongo (and its predecessor organization) since 2003. Daniel joined him in this work in 2005. Melkio and his wife, Irene, have four children: Lenvy (15), Valarie (11), Marcos (8) and Brighton (4). Daniel and his wife, Elizabeth, are parents of six: Veronica (16), Felix (13), Sharon (11), John (9), Judith (6), and Glendon (4).

Still one of the most challenging tasks has fallen upon a team of six women who serve as our focus group facilitators. Five are teachers at the Kirongo Rainbow School; one is a member of a local Self-Help Group affiliated with Kirongo. Each has already contributed countless hours to training, moderating, note taking and translation, despite other significant demands on their time.

A veteran instructor of 11 years, Theresa Odhiambo shapes young preschool minds at Kirongo. Her children, Calvis and Prescila are 15 and 12, respectively; she is expecting her third child in December. Jacinta Otieno has been teaching English and math to primary grades at Kirongo for the past three years. She and her husband, Cephers, have three children: Cynthia (10), Candy (4) and Terry (2). Tina Gudah joined Kirongo in February 2011 as a preschool instructor; she and her husband are new parents to son, Godwin, Jr (18 mo). Lydia Akoth is also a new mom to son, Michael, Jr (9 mo). She teaches Social Studies, Swahili and English to primary grades at Kirongo, also since February 2011. Belinder Adhiambo is the most recent addition to the Kirongo family. The fourth of six siblings, she took charge of the youngest preschool class—affectionately known as the “baby” class—in March 2011. Rounding out the focus group team, Zainabu Okello is a member of the Kinda Ber Self Help Group. She and her husband, Thadius, have one young son, Emmanuel (18 mo).

In addition, Kirongo’s Head Teacher, George Okeyo, played a key role early in the project to support translation and coordination with the teaching staff in their various roles. He and his wife, Rose, have three children: Linette (9), Lawrence (6) and newborn, Rispa (8 mo).

TARA owes all of these individuals a debt of gratitude for their tireless efforts!

The Power of Learning

"Education is a fundamental human right and essential for the exercise of all other human rights. It promotes individual freedom and empowerment and yields important development benefits. Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a result of poverty."   -UNESCO

According to UNICEF, a total of 8.8 million children (14 percent of all children under 12) were unable to attend elementary school in the Eastern and Southern Africa region in 2008.  Seventy-eight percent (nearly 7 million) of these out-of-school children live in 5 countries: Ethiopia, Angola, Kenya, Somalia, and Mozambique.  The quality of education in this area is very poor with only 57 percent of children attaining minimum reading scores at grade 6 and only 25 percent achieving minimum standards in mathematics.  Primary and secondary school enrolment in African countries is among the lowest in the world. The literacy rate in Eastern and Southern Africa stands at 81 percent for males aged 15 to 24 years, and 73 percent for females, which is lower than the world average of 91/85 (male/female) percent.  Lack of funding, adequate teachers, classrooms, and learning materials diminish the quality of education in Africa.
      

 Literacy among people 15-24

                                                  
The statistics make it clear that children in Africa have less access to institutional education than children living in other areas, but why does that matter? 


The education gained in childhood has effects throughout the life cycle and provides many advantages:

• Girls who have an education are more likely to have smaller, healthier families.  They are more protected against HIV and other illnesses and their children are more likely to live to age five.  
• Communities with educated and skilled members are better able to combat poverty and disease.
• Educated citizens are better informed of their rights and have a stronger voice in political discourse.   

The TARA Project is working closely with our Kenyan community to remove barriers to education at points throughout the life cycle from primary school for children to continuing education for adults...


AND YOU CAN HELP!  This weekend, the TARA Project is hosting an amazing fundraiser.  The event will feature Atlanta based artists and musicians and will benefit our midwife certification training, a continuing education program that will improve maternal and child health in our Kenya community.  Even if you can't attend the event, you can always purchase a ticket!  For more information on the event and for details on how to purchase your ticket online, check out our FB page:


http://www.facebook.com/taraproject?sk=app_129982580378550       

In Praise of Partnerships

On Thursdays we highlight folks in the TARA community making a difference. Today, we’re highlighting a bunch of folks – an entire organization to be exact.


Our latest partner, Groupon and its G-Team branch, are working hard behind the scenes to make next week’s campaign a HUGE success. And we love them for it!


Here’s the story behind the G-Team

Groupon is underwriting all the transaction costs for our campaign. Normally, a donation online has fees attached to it by the bank handling the online donation – a transaction fee and a percentage of the amount of the donation. But Groupon’s generosity means that every $10 pledged is $10 that goes directly to the TARA Project’s midwife training program.


Our sincere thanks to Groupon and all its work to help us fund our midwife training. We hope you’ll be part of the success story starting on Tuesday! Be sure to join our event on FaceBook so we can send you the Groupon campaign link as soon as its live on Tuesday morning.


Thanks so much for being part of our community and happy Thursday!

Brown Bagging Save Lives!

It’s noon and you’re heading out of the office for a much needed break from the computer and to grab a little lunch. Nothin’ fancy, just a sandwich and a soda or maybe some good ethnic food that feeds the soul. Either way, you spend about $10.

Or, Monday night you pack a lunch. Nothin’ fancy, just a sandwich or left over ethnic food from the night before. You save about $10.

Imagine what that $10 can do.

It can’t really do much for you. Maybe buy a movie ticket or half a dinner out. Allow you to grab a couple of beers after work. Whatever you do it’s all spent in a couple of hours. That's because it’s not a lot of money.

Unless it is. Collectively your $10 has the potential to help generations of people. Seriously, generations. That’s a pretty amazing investment for $10.

The Ugly Truth

A woman in sub-Saharan Africa has a 1 in 16 chance of dying in pregnancy or childbirth, compared to a 1 in 4,000 chance in a developed country – the risk is SO small in developed countries compared to sub-Saharan Africa that you can barely see it on the chart.

Let’s think about that in another way, imagine you and six of your friends. If you lived in Africa, it would be very likely that one of your mothers would have died in childbirth. Imagine how your life would be different without the love and protection of your mother.

A Solution by the numbers

Training midwives is one of the MOST effective ways to reduce the risk of a mom dying in pregnancy or childbirth. The training is so effective it’s sort of like a video going viral on YouTube. Here’s the way it works:

• A midwife gets a two week training led by a US physician on safe birthing practices

• She attends about 10 births a year – so in the first year that’s 10 moms and 10 babies helped

• She probably has at least a 20 year career – so that’s 200 moms and 200 babied helped over her lifetime

• She attends the training with about 23 other midwifes – so that’s almost 10,000 individuals helped by one training.

10,000 Lives for $10

Here’s where you come in. On Tuesday, May 24th the TARA Project is partnering with Groupon for a $10 campaign to fund our midwife training.

Please brown bag it on Tuesday and use your saved $10 to support our campaign.  Ask your coworkers to do the same -- challenge your office to tip the campaign. 

We only get the money if the campaign tips which means that we need at least 50 folks to support us. Please don’t miss this opportunity thinking someone else will do it. We need everyone’s help. Please don’t opt out because you’re busy – it’s an online donation and takes less than 10 minutes. It’s so easy. So cheap. So impactful. Consider it your good deed for the day. Please, please.

The How To

• Go to Groupon before the campaign starts and sign up: http://www.groupon.com/

• On Tuesday, May 24th we will post the link on our FaceBook page and on Twitter

• Follow the link

• Pledge $10

• Share with your friends

• Let the good karma follow you for the day

$10 and 10 minutes = 10,000 lives. We hope you’ll think of your mother and decide to be part of making that equation a reality.

Thank you VERY, VERY much.