42
projects
34
partners
16
countries
542k+
people benefited
Current as at December 2021. Please note projects often have more than one focus area. The project participant figures are from the 2020-21 year.
Across poor villages and in urban settlements, preventable illnesses and disability are a major cause of suffering, a drain on family finances, and a barrier to building a more secure life. When these are avoided, families can focus on other pursuits such as education and income generation. In this way, Tearfund’s programs that focus on health are the stepping stone to community wellbeing.
Tearfund’s approach to improving health is to support programs that enable community members to grow in their awareness of what causes ill health, to implement affordable ways to prevent illness, and to connect people in with other services that are available - such as clinics or hospitals. The focus of these programs is locally-determined, but commonly focuses on the health of pregnant mothers and infants, connecting children with immunisation programs, awareness around preventing transmittable diseases, and environmental sanitation such as clean dishes and rubbish removal. The effects on families can be felt almost immediately, as mothers enjoy fewer instances of diarrhoea in their households, and can approach childbirth with greater confidence in a healthy outcome for themselves and their babies.
Health awareness extends into social and economic issues, as these also lead to illness and prevent wellbeing. For people with disability and with mental illnesses, social acceptance and support is vital to enabling them to achieve to their full potential. And for women experiencing violence, or for refugees fleeing political instability, the effects of trauma require both counselling and livelihoods opportunities to regain health. The community-based nature of Tearfund’s work enables this to happen within the context of existing social networks, building up the community itself to provide better support for vulnerable people.
This impact report analyses the work that Tearfund’s international partners have done within the Basic Health sector using Tearfund funding during 2014-2015.
"429,086 individuals were directly involved or benefitted in health projects. A further 82,936 people participated in activities involving people with disability."
View reportSupport life-giving work where the need is greatest.
