LONDON, England– Health Poverty Action is an organization based in London, England whose primary goal is to strengthen bonds between impoverished and marginalized people and health care. Their partnerships and connections extend over 13 different worldwide countries throughout Asia, Latin America and Africa.
In their fight to alleviate one factor of poor health at a time, HPA focuses on three major topics: social justice and healthcare, prioritizing main issues and global concerns regarding water, sanitation, nutrition, empowering women and generating income for the world’s poor.
One of their main goals is to provide health care and health rights for all communities, not just those who can easily afford it. Founded by a young English doctor returning from Afghanistan, the ties between health care and poverty have been of the utmost importance since the beginning.
The members of Health Poverty Action challenge everyday issues such as obstacles that are impeding indigenous peoples from obtaining full rights and global policies that need to be altered in order for poverty to be eradicated.
So far Health Poverty Action has made many impressive strides to help communities that need it the most. HPA took part in reducing:
1) the spread of HIV by 73 percent in Rwanda
2) the mortality rate of children by 51 percent in Rwanda
3) maternal deaths by 72 percent in a Sierra Leone hospital
4) the mortality rate of infants and mothers in the Wa region of Burma
One campaign that Health Poverty Action is participating in is Live Below the Line, a fundraising effort that challenges participants to live below the poverty line for five days, so only on $1.50 a day in food and drinks.
Part of the focus is to show how eating small amounts of food can impact your health, even after just a couple of days. The campaign is projected to be effective at showing the real challenges that come with poor nutrition and little food, as well as open people’s eyes to understand just how many people under-nutrition and poverty actually affects. The money raised will go towards HPA as well as other organizations the Live Below the Line is partnered with.
Here is a video of one participant’s experience with Live Below the Line.
Also, you can check out Health Poverty Action’s full list of campaigns, as well as different countries’ start dates for Live Below the Line.
– Becka Felcon
Sources: Health Poverty Action, HPA, Live Below the Line
Photo: In a Nutshell