"Kishia, prevention is better than cure," is what my close friend would say to me anytime she felt I was doing something wrong. The confused expression on my face compelled her to explain .( I had never heard that one before) "It simply means that its better to prevent an accident or illness than to search for a cure," she said. "My mother used to tell us this as children, " she laughed. Makes sense to me, I thought. Little did the two of us know that her mother was on to something even back then.
As my classes get harder, and I get closer to my degree, my desire to pursue a career that will allow me to work towards humanitarian efforts are constantly brewing within me. I've been working with a few organizations here in the city for a while now. Prayerfully, in 2009 I will officially launch my own NPO which will focus on: child poverty. Which brings my reason for writing. As I continue to narrow down the details of the mission statement I am faced with the decision of selecting which direction to focus on: Prevention or Cure?
Worldwide,
2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized
15 million children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS (similar to the total children population in Germany or United Kingdom)
Shelter, safe water and health
For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:
640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)
400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)
270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)
Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
Is prevention better than cure? Should we focus preventable diseases? Or should we concentrate our efforts towards finding ways to educate people?
The poorest of the poor, around the world, have the worst health. Those at the bottom of the distribution of global and national wealth, those marginalized and excluded within countries, and countries themselves disadvantaged by historical exploitation and persistent inequity in global institutions of power and policy-making present an urgent moral and practical focus for action.
But what action? Prevention or Cure?
As my classes get harder, and I get closer to my degree, my desire to pursue a career that will allow me to work towards humanitarian efforts are constantly brewing within me. I've been working with a few organizations here in the city for a while now. Prayerfully, in 2009 I will officially launch my own NPO which will focus on: child poverty. Which brings my reason for writing. As I continue to narrow down the details of the mission statement I am faced with the decision of selecting which direction to focus on: Prevention or Cure?
Worldwide,
2.2 million children die each year because they are not immunized
15 million children orphaned due to HIV/AIDS (similar to the total children population in Germany or United Kingdom)
Shelter, safe water and health
For the 1.9 billion children from the developing world, there are:
640 million without adequate shelter (1 in 3)
400 million with no access to safe water (1 in 5)
270 million with no access to health services (1 in 7)
Nearly a billion people entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.
Is prevention better than cure? Should we focus preventable diseases? Or should we concentrate our efforts towards finding ways to educate people?
The poorest of the poor, around the world, have the worst health. Those at the bottom of the distribution of global and national wealth, those marginalized and excluded within countries, and countries themselves disadvantaged by historical exploitation and persistent inequity in global institutions of power and policy-making present an urgent moral and practical focus for action.
But what action? Prevention or Cure?
"Give me a fish and I'll eat for a day, teach me to fish and I'll eat for a lifetime."
--Chinese Proverb
1 comment:
I would say there is value to both!
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