Health

Solving some of the world's most critical health problems—from diseases caused by polluted water or air to HIV/AIDS to cancer—depends on grassroots community involvement and local and national advocacy. ISC has helped small, isolated villages rid themselves of a waterborne disease by digging a new sewer system—and helped national coalitions of nonprofits develop laws to protect public health.

Tangible Results

Below are some examples of how we have helped people address the health and well-being of their communities.

• Through the Tobacco Control Project, our Advocacy and Leadership Center provided information and analysis, strategic counseling, and training that allowed a comprehensive network of tobacco control advocates to reach consensus on policy goals and evaluate proposed tobacco legislation. The project also spawned the creation of the Smoking Control Advocacy Resource Center Network (the first online network for tobacco control advocates) and the development of the first guide on effective media advocacy for tobacco control.
• Every 35 minutes a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in Ukraine, and every hour a woman dies from the disease. Because breast cancer is often not detected until it becomes terminal, Ukraine's mortality rate is far above the European average. Women and doctors alike are often not aware of the benefits and importance of early detection. With extensive ISC training and support, the Women's Health and Family Planning Charity Fund conducted a nationwide public outreach campaign. Avon Cosmetics financed the design, printing, and dissemination of 100,000 information cards on how to administer breast self-examinations. Advice on self-examination, stories on cancer survivors, and a Patients' Bill of Rights were printed widely in popular women's publications. National television channels aired a documentary about cancer survivors fighting for awareness. The Fund then shared its experiences and training with a nationwide coalition of 25 nonprofits. As a result of their efforts, local and regional governments across Ukraine offered financial support for low-income cancer patients and for cutting-edge mammography equipment. In October 2005, in consultation with the Fund, the national government addressed the issue publicly for the first time through a series of hearings on breast cancer and related health issues.
• ISC has provided training on leadership, message development, and financial sustainability to hundreds of village Health Committees in Kyrgyzstan over the past three years. We identify and cultivate emerging local leaders who are already creating positive change in their communities—particularly "unlikely" leaders who have overcome social or cultural barriers to achieve remarkable results. Mohamet, for example, chairs a Village Health Committee in Bulguchu. Under her leadership, the committee conducted an intensive reproductive health outreach campaign that succeeded in getting 83% of village women to go for a gynecological exam, in part because information distributed included a section for husbands on why they should encourage their wives to get a PAP test. She also mobilized local men in this small village of about 150 households to donate free labor for constructing the town's first local health clinic, and advocated for funding. In 2006, the national Minister of Health gave Mohamet a national certificate in recognition of her achievements, inspiring other communities to replicate Bulguchu's success.
• In Macedonia, ISC provided intensive advocacy training and mentoring to a group of nonprofits working on HIV/AIDS prevention and helped them forge partnerships with government institutions. The collaboration improved services at the local level and spurred the government to develop a National Strategy on HIV/AIDS. With our help, the coalition won Macedonia's first grant from the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria for $6.3 million to prevent a major epidemic from developing.