Undernutrition is associated with 45% of child deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organization. Supporting women who are able to breastfeed is essential to preventing child deaths. More than 820,000 children under 5 years old could be saved each year if all children were optimally breastfed in their first two years of life. The importance of fathers’ support in this endeavor cannot be understated.
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During middle school, I was fascinated with the natural world. At home, I enjoyed playing outside and finding bugs and butterflies. When my parents called me in for dinner, they often had to coax me out of a tree. In school, I was equally curious. I remember the excitement I felt in my sixth-grade biology class when my teacher dissected a cow’s lung. I patiently waited in line to put my entire right arm into the esophagus.
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While COVID-19 has been at the center of health concerns since early 2020, the fight to end HIV continues. How are HIV communicators in the United States effectively engaging with their priority audiences? Here, four HIV communicators explain why they are passionate about their work and discuss how, in the current environment, they can best reach people in the United States who historically have had to bear the largest burden of HIV.
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Green jobs are the future
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The 26th U.N. Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) has brought renewed attention to the concept of “green jobs” — those where workers produce goods or provide services that benefit the environment or conserve natural resources and those in which workers’ duties involve making production processes more environmentally friendly.
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Decolonization of global health is not a future event. This journey started decades ago, before use of the term was common or the development sector saw the concept as disruptive. The goals of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) have been a major catalyst for the shift, with new voices and local viewpoints being elevated to create sustainable change and accomplish many of the targets we have set for global development. While host country nationals are now taking on greater responsibility in their organizations, more can be done to take full advantage of the benefits of diversity and the potential of decolonization.
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Contributors: Henry Omara, Ibrahim Abali, Kenneth Otieno Awuor, Washabiah Chagwa, Peter Gottart, Aeorangajeb Al Hossain and Julia Rosenbaum, FHI 360
As FHI 360 marks its 50th anniversary, explore our history of solutions and future of possibilities.
For years, hand hygiene was a neglected issue within the broader water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector — until COVID-19. During the pandemic, public health messaging has re-emphasized the importance of handwashing and contributed to gains in more people practicing better hand hygiene. But now, we are seeing signs of fatigue and handwashing rates have begun to drop. As the pandemic continues, there is an urgent need to ensure that these gains are not lost. We must create a new normal, one in which hand hygiene is a mainstay in public health interventions. There are three ways to ensure that healthy handwashing behaviors outlast the pandemic.
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September 29, 2021
Meeting the moment
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As I take the helm at FHI 360, I find myself reflecting on John Norris’ authoritative history of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), The Enduring Struggle. It points to the many accomplishments made possible through the funding and genius of USAID and its countless partners around the world. FHI 360 has contributed greatly to many of these successes, most notably in health, where we have helped combat deadly diseases such as tuberculosis and HIV and made modern contraceptives widely accessible.
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I believe you need two things to successfully address the challenges of human development: trust and humility. Without these two ingredients, it is not possible to foster the collaboration and authentic partnerships that create the enabling environment to make progress on complex human development problems.
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Shaping the world we want to live in
An Interview with
Dr. Timothy Mastro, Chief Science Officer, FHI 360
As FHI 360 marks its 50th anniversary, explore our history of solutions and future of possibilities.
Dr. Timothy Mastro, FHI 360’s Chief Science Officer, offers his perspective on where we’ve been, where we’re going and what’s at stake in human development.
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June 24, 2021
As FHI 360 marks its 50th anniversary, explore our history of solutions and future of possibilities.
In 1999, AIDS was the fourth biggest cause of death worldwide. And, it was the number one killer in Africa.
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Strengthening health systems comes down to staff, stuff, space, systems and support. Whether providing primary care or responding to deadly outbreaks of infectious diseases, a holistic approach that places the patient and their community at the center of care and treatment is essential. In this episode, Dr. Paul Farmer and I discuss how human connection and authentic partnership should remain at the center of public health and human development work.
Dr. Paul Farmer is the Co-Founder, Chief Strategist and Chair of the Board of Trustees of Partners in Health, and a medical anthropologist, physician and author. His most recent book is Fevers, Feuds, and Diamonds: Ebola and the Ravages of History. His positive approach to disrupting under-resourced and poorly performing health systems is simple yet holistic: Address unmet needs for staff, stuff, space, systems and support.