Unreliable Healthcare
Global life expectancy is declining for the first time since 1950. How did this happen? And what can be done?
ADVANCING THE PROVISION OF QUALITY MEDICAL CARE
Poor quality healthcare kills 5.7-8.4 million each year.
Life expectancy rates doubled globally over the past two centuries, while child and maternal mortality rates improved dramatically according to a report from Max Roser, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Hannah Ritchie ("Life Expectancy" published online at OurWorldInData.org).
But concerning indicators suggest these gains have slowed. The health impacts of the pandemic and the societal impacts of mitigation tactics brought global public health inequities to the fore.
While the wealthy enjoy reliable and affordable healthcare, many low-income communities lack access to even basic healthcare services–or struggle beneath the burden of massive unpaid medical debt. Preventable and fixable medical conditions such as vision impairment still affect hundreds of millions of people in low-income communities.
During the first-century plagues until today, God’s people have been at the forefront of healthcare provision around the world. Historian Dr. Gary Ferngren said in his recent historical survey published by Johns Hopkins University, “The hospital was, in origin and conception, a distinctively Christian institution, rooted in Christian concepts of charity and philanthropy.”
“Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of the daughter of my people not been restored?” Jeremiah 8:22
Dr. Ngozi Onyia and her female leadership team at Paleon Memorial Hospital seek to redefine the healthcare system in Nigeria by providing high-quality, timely, and professional services.
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REPORT: Expecting to Live a Long Life? Statistics Are Trending Down.
Average life expectancy doubled from 35 to over 70 over the past century. Only recently have these trends begun to reverse.
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Visual Impairment Represents the Third Leading Cause of Disability Worldwide
One billion people globally, 90% of whom reside in low-income countries, suffer from preventable visual impairment. The New York Times dubbed this “the biggest healthcare crisis you’ve never heard of,” but fresh approaches are chipping away at the problem.
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5.3 Million Patient Visits, 325,000 Surgeries Performed, 23 Countries Served
The hospital experience can be intimidating and cold, but at innovative hospitals in Lagos, Nigeria, and rural Texas, the needs of patients, particularly of the most vulnerable, are prioritized.
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What Happens When Families Become Primary Healthcare Providers?
Significant opportunity exists to support the health needs of families beyond the walls of hospitals and medical facilities. From physical therapy to hospice, home-based healthcare can allow medical professionals to meet patients where they are.
Take action. Change lives.
Below you’ll find some of the best-in-class organizations that are working to provide reliable healthcare. These organizations are trustworthy, effective and innovative. In a world full of choices, we want to make the complex accessible. So, we invite you to explore them and consider giving and investing. Or you might consider building your own venture.
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What if every child suffering a treatable disability were actually treated...
CURE International works to make this happen every day. In countries lacking resources, childrens’ injuries are often untreated, leaving kids in pain and vulnerable to neglect. CURE International provides world-class, comprehensive care to treat children suffering from a variety of life-limiting yet treatable conditions such as clubfoot, bowed legs, cleft lips, untreated burns, and hydrocephalus.
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To escape gunshots only to die from a mosquito?
Lack of medical care is proving more deadly than escaping war. Around the world, violence forces families to flee their homes. We are bearing witness to the greatest refugee medical care crisis the world has known. Refugees arrive in makeshift camps injured, sick, starving, and traumatized. Medical Teams International is committed to providing reliable health care as the first step to restoring hope in refugees and disaster victims.
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Why will 2,164 babies and 407 mothers in Africa die today...
Because health workers and health facilities in Africa lack the knowledge and tools they need to provide quality care to their patients. But it doesn’t have to be this way. LifeNet is transforming Africa health facilities to provide quality sustainable healthcare and save lives. Rather than build new clinics and bring in external healthcare providers, LifeNet builds and strengthens the capacity of local healthcare facilities.
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Why are ships the best way to reach people in need with personalized medical care...
Because over 50% of the world's population lives near a coast. Each year, Mercy Ships sends state-of-the-art hospital ships filled with volunteer professionals who selflessly provide life-changing surgeries to children and adults who otherwise would go without. Mercy Ships believes that being able to access the medical care you need should never depend on where you are born.
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What is obstetric fistula...
It's a devastating childbirth injury caused by prolonged and obstructed labor, often resulting in a stillbirth, chronic incontinence, spousal abandonment, social stigma, and personal shame. It's been virtually eliminated in industrialized nations but continues to plague women in resource-poor countries. Healing Hands of Joy aims to make Ethiopia fistula-free via training, education, rehabilitation, and treatment.
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When is it a bad idea to send a recovered patient home from the hospital...
When a patient returns to the same environment where they got their injury, especially rape or abuse victims, they may return to the hospital for the same problem. HEAL Africa understands that healing a person of their experience from violence and poverty requires more than a band-aid or surgery—it requires a holistic approach. That's why, in addition to treatment, they provide women in DRC with training and reintegration kits to restart their lives.
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Who reaches 8 million people around the world with medicines annually...
Blessings International. They have provided high-quality pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to thousands of organizations serving in the United States and more than 140 nations since the ministry was created in 1981. They provide medicines for international mission teams, clinics and hospitals, disaster relief, and animal health.
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TrustBridge Giving Space
Keep discovering vetted opportunities at TrustBridge Giving Space, which helps donors send money to charities around the world.
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How can Christian portfolios align with their values...
Through investments in companies that make the world rejoice. Eventide aims to help every Christian and values-based investor to invest in ways that align both with their financial goals and their core beliefs about what is good, true, and beautiful. That's why Eventide invests in areas that honor life, like treatments seeking to address challenging diseases. This also means they seek to avoid profiting from anything designed to harm or exploit a life, including abortion services, weaponry, pornography, and tobacco.
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How did COVID-19 spark 500 health tech startups in Africa...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for health tech solutions in Africa soared. As critical infrastructure spreads across the continent, that demand remains consistent. HealthCap Africa is providing investors with a $500 million-strong portfolio of companies working to bring healthcare, clean water, and clean energy to every corner of the continent.
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Can New York City become the epicenter of worldwide healthcare reinvention...
With Ascend Partners, it could be. Ascend's approach to investing in healthcare companies is unique. Many healthcare ecosystems in underserved populations fail to place a centralized focus on the patient, resulting in a disjointed care experience and increased cost. Based in New York City, Ascend seeks to overcome the fragmentation of care-delivery through an integrated operational strategy and a growth-oriented investment approach.
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On average, how many days does it take to get in and see a physician...
29 days. Navigating healthcare is complicated. Blockit unlocks a smoother path for both patients and doctors by helping people get the care they need faster and earlier. By connecting the organizations within a healthcare ecosystem into a single platform, Blockit enables all participants—providers, staff, insurance, employers, and patients—to collaborate and better navigate the patients to where they need to be.
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What is one simple way of improving our mood and memory...
Staying hydrated. But as we get older, our body doesn't give us normal thirst signals, and that's a problem. Gecaᵀᴹ, from Hydrostasis, is a watch that reminds seniors to hydrate before they feel thirsty. It's developed by scientists, supported by patents, and offers clinical-grade accuracy. Importantly, its user-friendliness promotes independence for seniors and keeps them feeling good.
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What's like Shark Tank for faith-driven entrepreneurs without being cutthroat...
The Faith Driven Investor Marketplace. This platform is a free tool for accredited, faith-driven investors looking to put capital to work. Funds and deals that go on the platform are at the discretion of a group of faith-driven investors with experience ranging across all different asset classes. Whether a multi-million dollar real estate venture or a small business, concessionary capital or a high financial return profile, Marketplace connects investors and entrepreneurs.
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What if Christian entrepreneurs didn't have to be alone...
Now, they don't have to be. Faith Driven Entrepreneur helps Christ-following entrepreneurs find their community and fulfill their God-given call to create. They do this by providing inspiring content and sparking meaningful connections between like-minded entrepreneurs and investors.
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What's wrong with doing things right...
It’s not enough. The ethical way says, “I win, you win.” But the redemptive way says, “I sacrifice, we win.” To this end, Praxis is a venture-building ecosystem advancing redemptive entrepreneurship. They support founders, funders, and innovators motivated by their faith to address the major issues of our time.
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What is limiting to a leader's potential...
Isolation. Faith-driven, results-minded CEOs and executives meet in C12 Business Forums monthly to encourage and challenge one another. These groups of peers work together to make better decisions, avoid costly mistakes, and create solid plans for business growth, all while striving to create eternal impact far beyond the bottom line.
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What happened to the family macademia nut business...
Sinapis' business training turned this business on the brink of failure into a source of livelihood for Kenyan workers. Sinapis provides training, ongoing opportunities ,vibrant community, and faith-based principles to Christian entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia, and Central America. Its alumni report an average increase of 138% in revenue 1 year after graduation.
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What percent of startups fail...
90%. One out of 10 startups fail within the first year. And most of them fail due to avoidable mistakes. Founders navigating potential pitfalls on their own is hard, though. OCEAN is a training community for entrepreneurs that integrates practical business skills with biblical wisdom so that entrepreneurs can start and lead a sustainable business without the pressure of figuring it out alone.
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What if you had to leave your kids for 2,555 nights...
This is the reality for many Filipinos who leave to their families to build a brighter future for their kids. What if they didn’t have to? Dream Bigger Ventures empowers Filipino Founders to grow as leaders who will have the character, community, and competency to solve seemingly impossible problems with sustainable ventures.
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What does "ziwani" mean in Swahili...
"At the lake." In the same vein, the nonprofit Ziwani represents a place of refreshment, community, and commerce for Christian business leaders in Africa. It equips and partners with the Christian business community so that they can meaningfully and practically live out their marketplace calling on the African continent.
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What continent has the world's youngest and fastest-growing workforce...
Africa. Future Africa is working to increase the continent’s 3% contribution to global GDP by investing in global businesses that will lead the digital economy. They've raised 2 unicorns, have 6 exits, deployed $10M+ in 106 portfolio companies and $1B+ in follow-on capital.
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