keeping the faith

Burqa-clad Afghan women enter a medical treatment center in Kabul. photo credit: Behrouz Mehri, AFP

Faith based organizations have had to work hard to prove themselves as viable international health and development organizations, which has been an incredible challenge. PR setbacks, poor coordination and implementation, and incorrect or bad programming have all plagued FBO’s, who’s mission is often rooted in the best of consequences.

The Vatican was responsible for the wide distribution of the message that condoms do not protect against transmission if HIV in countries with high prevalence of HIV in 2003. Focus on the Family (a US based Christian organization whose mission is to mend struggling families) supported, if not created the anti-gay bill in Uganda. This bill extends the punishment for some homosexual acts to go as far as death. And there are alarming stories of money raised through tithing, bake sales, can drives, and other charity events that are funneling money into health clinics and orphanages without coordination, planning, or efficient implementation. Additionally, many of these health clinics funded by churches are furnished with operating theaters and other over the top luxuries that cannot be utilized by the catchment population because there is usually no electricity, or the health centers are poorly located.

The strong objection to reproductive health services for women, including family planning and access to abortion services have been my biggest contention with FBO’s. When women are healthy and have all of there needs met, including reproductive needs, families and communities are healthier.

All of that said, FBO’s offer an amazing opportunity for collaboration and improvement in communities and individuals. Faith is such a powerful influence in so many people’s lives. It keeps people going through their daily struggles and allows them to face each day. Religious leaders in a variety of faiths have proven to be effective partners in the most unlikely of circumstances. Mullahs are helping to promote the use of birth control in Afghanistan. Catholic nuns have come out in support of the US health reform bill, even though the Catholic Bishops opposed the bill.Working with religious leaders presents a unique opportunity to tap into an amazing resource to effectively disseminate accurate and helpful health messaging. It is also critical to partner with FBOs since they provide such a large proportion of health cervices in the developing world, according to a report released by WHO in 2007.

Certainly there are religious organizations that are effective and powerful implementers of public health programs. Among the most notable are Catholic Relief Services, providing assistance to individuals living in over 100 countries around the world; and World Vision, a Christian organization working to support children, women, and families around the world.

It’s critical to harness these powerful forces, and use them for good. The international health and development community stands to gain an amazing amount from these partnerships.

over already?

photo credit: partners in health

The week of January 25, 2010 Newsweek dedicated the majority of its edition to the struggle in Haiti. Striking photos of the devastation and despair of the Haitian people are next to poignant essays on how humanitarianism can lead to great policy, grappling with the idea of a God that would allow something like this to happen, and please for help from strong voices – Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton wrote pieces, as well as David Rothkopf, who has extensive experience working in foreign aid and foreign policy.

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake governments, non-profits, multilateral organizations, and individual citizens rose to the challenge of helping Haiti. Billions of dollars were donated via check, cash, text message, bake sale, and cracking open of piggy banks. Coordinated efforts between military and civilian groups began digging people out of rubble, distributing much needed food and water, and providing emergency medical care and housing to survivors.

In his Newsweek essay, President Obama points to the compassion of American people – our willingness to use the power of our great nation to lift people up and act on behalf of our common humanity. We certainly saw an amazing outpouring of support from the American people. Organizations were flooded with donations; offers to volunteer their diverse skills and services, gifts of airplanes, medical supplies, and catered meals to those working around the clock to support organizational relief efforts.

Certainly the cable and nightly news coverage coming out of Haiti likely contributed to the outpouring of compassion and generosity. How could it not? Brian Williams, Anderson Cooper, and Katie Couric all reporting on the hell Haitians were surviving in. 60 Minutes reports talked with PIH co-founder Paul Farmer and doctors perfuming amputations with saws sterilized with vodka. NBC Nightly news ran stories highlighting the unparalleled death toll, and the undignified ways in which the bodies were buried. Anderson Cooper brought us face to face with the fear, anger, and frustration felt by the Haitian people as they struggled to feed themselves and their families, and to put a roof over their head as the rainy season approached.

Presidents Clinton and Obama talk in their essays about the long road ahead to help Haiti. ‘In the months and years to come, as the tremors fade and Haiti no longer tops the headlines or leads the evening news, our mission will be to help the people of Haiti to continue on their path to a brighter future’ says President Obama. President Clinton echoes this  sentiment by calling on Americans to continue to support Haiti as efforts move from emergency response to development to ensure that Haiti has the bright future it so deserves; ‘Man anpil chay pa lou’ ‘Many hands lighten the load.’

The earthquake struck 37 days ago. News outlets have been actively covering Olympic stars Lindsey Vonn and her shin and Bode Miller and his potential to disappoint, Tiger Woods and his looming press conference and public apology, and the playground that is the US Congress. Correspondents have left Haiti and turned their, and our, attention from the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere to the Olympics, health care, and Scott Brown. For those of us continuing to follow the work of organizations like the IRC, Partners in Health, and Catholic Relief Services in Haiti, it remains clear that much work remains to be done. Communicable diseases are rampantly moving through the camps that people are calling home. Showers from the looming rainy season serve as reminders that the current living conditions will not suffice when the rains begin in earnest.

Haiti is still clearly in the emergency response phase. It appears to me that the American people have forgotten Haiti already. Anyone who knows anything about international development says that this is going to be a long haul requiring incredible resources and time to support Haiti. Has the US done our part already? I certainly hope not.

What can you do to help? Follow organizations and people on the ground on Twitter to keep up with the amazing work that their doing, remind friends and family that people are still struggling every day to survive. And consider making a donation to one of the following organizations who will play an active role in the development of Haiti long after the World Food Program, Doctors without Borders, and other emergency focused organizations leave Haiti for the next disaster.

Partners In Health: www.standwithhaiti.org

Mercy Corps: www.mercycorps.org

World Vision: www.worldvision.org

Save the Children: www.savethechildren.org

Catholic Relief Services: www.crs.org

The transition from emergency response to development is a complicated one. But surely complicated further when the people who so desperately need our support are forgotten by the media and the general public.

innovation

there has to be a better way to get water

I recently read the annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. While the letter focuses a good deal on their new pledge of $10b for vaccines, they touch on malaria, HIV/AIDS treatment, domestic education, maternal mortality, and child health. While the approaches to solving these problems are increasingly complex and multifaceted, one word continued to jump out at me as I read the letter in its entirety.

Innovation.

I think that many programs aimed at improving the lives and the health of populations living in resource poor settings around the world have been incredibly innovative. A number of organizations are working to provide clean burning stoves for families to reduce indoor air pollution and thus respiratory illnesses in women and children. Others are utilizing cellular technology to reach broad audiences and provide them with information related to family planning, HIV/AIDS, and child health. Many organizations, including Mercy Corps and World Vision take advantage of what are called ‘talking sign campaigns’ – small signs posted in school yards, English on one side and the local language on the other, displaying a public health message: ‘boil water before drinking’, ‘educate girl children’, ‘wash hands before eating’.

Certainly the founder of Microsoft is innovative in his own work. The Gates foundation is attacking malaria with new insecticides, vaccines, and cheaper production of medications. They are discussing promotion of polio vaccination and HIV vaccination. They are focusing on prevention of HIV through male circumcision. Some of their most innovating work comes with their agricultural developments. Exploration of genetically engineered seeds and improved growing techniques are hopeful ways to provide food for the 1 billion people suffering from chronic hunger.

A few weeks ago I was in Portland, Oregon where I had the opportunity to visit the Mercy Corps Action Center. The Action Center is an exciting place where the Portland community can go to understand the work that Mercy Corps is doing around the world. It’s an interactive center with audiovisual displays that engage the young and old alike.

While I was at the Action Center they had an exciting exhibit up called Design for the Other 90%. The exhibit includes feats of engineering used in the developing world to help make their lives a little easier. Certainly one of the most brilliant innovations was the cylindrical jerry can designed by P. J. and J. P. S. Hendrikse which allows women and children to fetch more water more efficiently and with greater ease. A second design feat was the brick maker which relies exclusively on gravity to turn dirt and other sediment into bricks to build schools, health centers, and homes. I saw this brick maker in use in Uganda and was amazed at the ease and speed with which bricks could be produced.

making bricks to build a school in uganda

One aspect of innovation that I think is not talked about enough is the innovation that program beneficiaries have. One of the things that was on display at the Action Center was a solar panel whose intended use was to power light sources for homes. I also so this solar panel utilized in Uganda, but it was not powering lights. Entrepreneurs were using the solar panel to charge cellular phones at a small fee. These individuals are able to make an impressive living with the money they earn from charging phones.

While beneficiaries may not always utilize new and exciting interventions and technologies the way that they were originally intended, it’s important to take a step back and look at the big picture for what it is – amazing innovation by all parties.

** both photos are authors own