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Healthcare is a human right, but millions around the world live without it. In developing countries where the vast majority live on less than $1.90/day, it's not uncommon for people to die from preventable and treatable conditions like diarrhea or malaria.
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The effects of climate change — drought, wildfires, pollution — cause many of the healthcare crises we see all too commonly around the world. Clean air, safe water, food security and shelter are all linked to the health of our planet. The World Health Organization has found that:
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Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress.
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Weather-related natural disasters have more than tripled since the 1960s, resulting in over 60,000 deaths (mostly in developing countries) each year.
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Increasingly variable rainfall patterns and rising temperatures decrease fresh water supply and threaten staple crops in many of the world’s poorest regions.
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Nonprofit Partner: Integrate Health
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Integrate Health Community Health Workers in training
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Integrate Health is working to deliver the highest quality primary healthcare services to women and children in Togo, West Africa. They do this by training and employing 200+ Community Health Workers (CHW's), who are mostly women and provide home-based care.
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Meet Viviane: A Community Health Worker
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Like most young girls in Kamaka, Viviane married young. Despite both her and her husband working – he as a farmer, she making condiments at the local market – they were not able to make enough money to cover their basic expenses.
When Viviane heard that Integrate Health was recruiting CHWs to provide primary care to children in the community, she decided to apply and was accepted. Now Viviane has become one of the best CHW's in the region.
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Through her work with Integrate Health, Viviane has earned the respect of her community. She is able to provide lifesaving care to children, follow up on the wellbeing of pregnant and postpartum women, and independently support herself and her family.
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“Becoming a Community Health Worker has changed my life. I am proud of my current life and my ability to support my family. I no longer wait for my husband to give me money to pay for what I need. Once I get my salary, I can supply those things to myself. I can now also help my husband by paying for the fertilizer for the farm, or paying people who will go to work on the farm since I am no longer available to go all the time. I am very grateful for this opportunity and the chance I got to become a CHW with Integrate Health.”
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The Kara River in the Kara region of Togo
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The care that Vivianne and other CHW’s are providing throughout Togo is increasingly critical as climate change accelerates. The World Bank projects that over the next three decades, the annual temperature in Togo will rise by 1.5 to 3.1 degrees celsius. This change will have lasting effects on the livelihood and wellbeing of people throughout the country.
Togo, and other low-income countries with weak health infrastructure, will be the least able to cope with the health effects of climate change. Increases in record hot days and erratic rain patterns will jeopardize livelihoods and access to food. Hot temperatures can lead to an increased risk of dehydration, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and greater spread of water-borne diseases including cholera.
“Addressing climate change is not an option for Integrate Health, nor is it separate from our mission. Climate justice is inextricably linked to the health and wellbeing of our staff and the communities we serve”, said Jennifer Schechter, Co-Founder and CEO of Integrate Health.
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Your Purchases at Work in the World
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Each year we donate 25% of our profits to organizations addressing social and environmental issues with $1.6 million allocated for donations in 2020. Due to the support of our customers we donated $348,191 to partners focused on healthcare:
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1. Support the work of our partners focusing on health:
2. Urge President Biden to take executive action to deliver healthy communities and a better life for people on the frontlines of fossil fuel racism, pollution, and the climate crisis. Sign the petition.
3. Daily decisions regarding what we do, what we consume, where we buy, how we choose to live, and the values that we hold and promote affect this world we live in. Check out these Tools for Conscious Living and learn more about SDG #3.
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