Asian Philanthropy Forum

Bangladesh: Burning Inside

My friend, Asif Saleh, wrote about a tragic fire in the congested old Dhaka last week where more than 100 people died. He points to issues in building codes and the lack of proper medical facilities to care for the wounded. As you read his accounts, try to think about how philanthropy can address these issues.

‘গরিবের প্রানের কোনো মুল্য নাই এই দেশে’, (There is no worth for poor people in this country) says the Biriwala in front of Dhaka Medical College. 

I just returned from the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College. People are still trying to figure out there what just happened. The roads were too congested and small for the fire trucks to go in. Once they were in, pretty soon the water ran out and so they had to go back and get water again. In the process, more than 100 lives were in flames — just like that. By the time I went this morning, most of the bodies were dispatched to the morgue. I went in to the unit of the not so seriously injured ones at first. 

As it happens in Dhaka Medical College, most of these emergency patients don’t have any bed in the first place. They are either in the lobby and the not so serious ones typically are in the floor. But it did not seem that way yesterday with the serious ones lying in the floor bed as well. A man, half burnt, lying in pain, a mother sitting with his young son with burnt hands, father carrying his 7 year old with burnt legs and promising him what he would bring him from the store when he gets better. Most patients, however, are blankly staring not sure what has hit them. A few journalists are reporting. They are also tired from reporting, I guess. The nurses could barely keep their eyes open. I slowly walk towards the serious injuries — or attempt to move there and I can’t.

Aravind to Receive $1.5 Million Hilton Humanitarian Prize

Aravind Eye Care System, the world's largest eye care provider, will receive the Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize of $1.5 million this year at the Global Philanthropy Forum. 

The prize was established by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation in 1996 and "honors a charitable or non-governmental organization that has made extraordinary contributions toward alleviating human suffering anywhere in the world." Previous award winners include PATH, BRAC, Tostan, Women for Women International, Partners in Health, and Heifer International.

Aravind performs 300,000 surgeries each year. 70% of these surgeries are free or subsidized. India has 12 million of the 45 million blind people in the world. Indians get cataracts in their 40s and 50s as compared to 60s and 70s in the United States. Extreme sun, genetics, and lack of medical access for early diagnosis are the main factors for the high rates. Without surgery, the patients become blind and lose productive years. The blindness also creates needless suffering for the patient and their families.

As of 2009, Aravind has handled over 29 million outpatient visits and performed over 3.6 million surgeries. The organization operates five hospitals and is supported by a network of clinics, research laboratories and manufacturing facilities producing high quality, low cost ophthalmic supplies. It has also expanded in the region, establishing seven eye hospitals in Bangladesh. 

The founder of Aravind was inspired by McDonald's capability to expand and replicate the same quality and efficiency of service anywhere in the world. He adapted the concept to eye-care by standardizing systems, equipment and training. By allowing nurses and other staff to handle routine tasks, the doctors could concentrate on diagnosis and surgeries. An Aravind doctor performs an average of 2,000 or more surgeries annually while a typical ophthalmologist might perform 250 to 400.

The organization depends on volume and efficiency to keep its cost structure low. In addition to providing services, the organization also set up Aurolab to manufacture lenses, costing about $2 each as compared to $200 elsewhere. Aurolab now provides the lenses and other supplies to 120 countries. What makes Aravind remarkable is that it has not assumed debt and has accomplished all this work with minimal charitable contributions.

I will be attending the Global Philanthropy Forum this year and look forward to the award presentation. If you are going to the event, please let me know!

Photo courtesy of fredericknoronha, Creative Commons

$50,000 Award to Developer of an Innovative Wireless Technology Addressing Health Issues

The Vodafone Americas Foundation is pleased to announce the first mHealth Alliance Award, in partnership with the mHealth Alliance, as part of the 2010 Wireless Innovation Project. The award will be granted to the developer of an innovative wireless technology with the most potential to address critical health challenges, especially in developing regions.

The winner of the mHealth Alliance Award will receive a cash prize and benefits totaling $50,000, including participation in Santa Clara University’s Center for Science, Technology, and the Global Social Benefit Incubator Program (GSBI™), a highly competitive program that connects innovators with a Silicon Valley support network and provides instruction on how to achieve maximum sustainability and impact in social enterprises. In addition, the winner will receive strategic and networking assistance from the mHealth Alliance.

Delivering Health-care via Texting

- by Seema Khan, Give2Asia

In the past few years, mobile phones have been taking on a new purpose in the developing world. Being a relatively cheap tool for communication and increasingly accessible, mobile phones are being used to transmit medical information and deliver health care in remote areas. There are several organizations currently exploring the potential for mobile phones to expand the current reaches of health care.

One organization, FrontlineSMS:Medic, uses three major components to create a network of communication between clinics and people far from medical care. The heart of the network is a software program, FrontlineSMS, which creates a large-scale two-way text messaging network through a laptop. This software, used with a GSM (global system for mobile communication) modem and cell phones, completes the platform for communication. With the laptop and modem based at a central clinic and mobile phones distributed to community health workers (CHWs) stationed at remote villages, the system enables fast, real-time communication between remote areas and clinics.

Save the World Using Your Cell Phone?

- by Dien S Yuen

I had the opportunity to meet Mridul Chowdhury, CEO of ClickDiagnostics, several months ago and I have been following his work since then.  U.S. based ClickDiagnostics uses cell phones to deliver healthcare to rural communities.  They are working now in Bangladesh, India and Africa.  Will using cell phones be the next big thing for social service organizations to tackle some of the rural development issues and perhaps, grow philanthropy?

Since it is difficult to access doctors for those living in rural villages, Mridul's team deploys health workers with cell phones to those areas.  The cell phones are equipped with macro lenses and software for questioning patients about their ailments.  They take close-up images of eyes or skin to diagnose disorders.  The images and audio files are sent via cell phone to a server linked to a regional doctor who makes the diagnoses.  Within 24 hours, the health worker receives the diagnoses.  Patients would pay the health worker for the services. 

Global handwashing day - Oct 15th

October 15th is global handwashing day.  It is the first-ever event launched by the Public-Private Partnership for Handwashing with Soap (PPPHW) and is designed to introduce the idea of an annual event that raises awareness about the benefits of handwashing with soap. 

According to the campaign website, poor hygiene and lack of access to sanitation contribute to about 88% of deaths from diarrhoeal disases and account for 1.5 million diarrhoea-related under-five deaths each year.  The World Health Organization stated that, of the 161,000 children that died in Indonesia in 2006, 19% died from diarrhoea and 14% from pneumonia.  Handwashing with soap is the most effective and inexpensive way to prevent diarrheal and acute respiratory infections.  Yet, despite its life-saving potential, handwashing with soap is seldom practiced and difficult to promote.

Organizations addressing similar issues in Asia

In Asia, there are many similar development issues that affect the region and its people.  Unfortunately, many do not know of the programs other groups are working on or realize that similar groups like theirs exist.  Often these organizations, spread all over Asia, can gain and improve their work, perhaps even collectively raise funds, if they could share experiences, stories and information.  New engaging issues or solutions such as microfinance now have platforms for such exchanges while there are more basic development issues which do not have similar opportunities.

In my work at Give2Asia, I am able to interact with many organizations all over Asia.  Recently, I came across three organizations doing similar work in three different countries.  If we introduced them to each other and nurtured them to address their issues on a regional or even global level, could we not dramatically improve the number of lives they touch so much more effectively?

Life saving heart surgeries for impoverished children

It is estimated that one of every 100 children is born with a heart defect, and of those nearly one-third need corrective surgery.  Children's Hope in China, Child's Dream in Thailand, and East Meets West Foundation in Vietnam help provide access to life saving heart surgeries to children from underpriviledged backgrounds.  You can read about these organizations and the donors who are supporting their programs at the Give2Asia Forum.

- Nishita Bakshi

Photo courtesy of Give2Asia: Liu Da lives in Henan Province, close to the Yellow River.  Liu Da was diagnosed with congenital heart disease when he was 8 months old.  Children's Hope covered the entire fee for his surgery and he is now completely recovered.