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“Off all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.” -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Where would you like to go?

At Free The Children, we recognize the link between helping disadvantaged people meet their basic health care needs and building strong communities. Donors who contribute to the health care pillar of our Adopt a Village program can provide mobile health clinics; basic medical supplies; training for health care workers; student lunch programs; tree nurseries; community gardens for fresh, nourishing food; health care and awareness workshops to educate communities on preventable diseases; kitchen and dining halls; and sports equipment to promote physical fitness.

the issues.

Every year, 9.2 million children die before the age of five. The vast majority of these deaths occurs in the developing world, and could easily be prevented with adequate medical treatment.

But for millions of children and families worldwide, even the most common injuries and illnesses go untreated. For many, there are no doctors, no nurses, no hospitals. For others, the nearest medical facilities are understaffed, poorly equipped and require hours of walking to reach.

With no health care and no health education, diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, typhoid, dysentery and a slew of other waterborne diseases are running rampant across the developing world—devastating families, keeping children from getting an education, and digging entire nations deeper into poverty.

  • Each year, approximately 9.2 million children under the age of five die from often preventable diseases.
  • 12.2 million children in sub-Saharan Africa have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
  • In India, lack of health care has brought the average life expectancy down to just 53.2 years.
  • A child born in a developing country is over 13 times more likely to die by the age of five than a child born in an industrialized country.

enelerai, kenya

Changing Lives: Meet Hillary

Disease and infant mortality used to run rampant in 11-year-old Hillary’s hometown of Enelerai, Kenya. There, on the border of the Maasai Mara, the nearest health clinic was a full 24 hour’s walk from town. Along with her brother, Nicholas, and sister, Yola, Hillary was in constant jeopardy of contracting one of the many local diseases, like malaria, dysentery or HIV/AIDS—devastating illnesses for which they would receive virtually no treatment.

But all that changed when Adopt a Village came to Enelerai.

Thanks to the generous support of donors from across the globe, the Free The Children team was able to provide the Enelerai community with a mobile health clinic, which provides primary health services and health care workshops; a community garden, which provides fresh vegetable to over 2,000 local citizens; and an in-school health club to teach students like Hillary simple measures to avoid diseases.

Since then, the community of Enelerai has seen a dramatic improvement in its overall health. And without the fear of disease keeping her down, Hillary has newfound aspirations of becoming a doctor or even the president of Kenya when she grows up.

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get involved!

Want to help with global health care issues? Follow these steps:
1 Set up an awareness event on world health. 2 Celebrate for Change and donate the proceeds to health care. 3 Explore global health needs in our issues library.
Ready to bring global health into your classroom? Follow these steps:
1 Download our educator resources for support. 2 Take a class trip overseas to build a medical clinic. 3 Fundraise as a class for Adopt a Village health care projects.
Your family can give children medical treatment they desperately need. Here’s how:
1 Take a family trip overseas to build a medical clinic. 2 Enroll your kids in an academy to help them take action. 3 Make a family donation to health care projects overseas.
Make global health an office priority. Follow these steps:
1 Start an incentive program for workplace donations. 2 Download our Office Kit for ways to take action for global health. 3 Make a staff donation to our Adopt a Village health projects.
You’re on: AAV: Health page! Looking for a different pillar? Try our Alternative Income, Education, or Water pages. Still not finding what you want? Try here >
Together We Can Change the World.