Global Health

Each year millions of vulnerable people, especially children, die unnecessarily of disease and malnutrition because they lack access to basic healthcare and nutrition.

The American Red Cross is committed to helping people around the world prevent and respond to life-threatening health conditions with our global health initiatives that focus on reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating infectious diseases.

In the world's poorest regions, the American Red Cross trains local health promoters, volunteers and caregivers to advocate and teach proper health practices such as breast feeding, sanitation and the detection of early signs of disease in children.

This network of health promoters, including youth and peer educators, is the critical community link for national and local health prevention programs such as vaccine campaigns, distribution of bed nets against malaria and HIV/AIDS awareness. These cost-effective, community-based health interventions target large numbers of people and focus on the accessibility and equity of care, community participation, and the integration of health care with other community development initiatives, such as water and sanitation projects and food and nutrition programs.

Examples of American Red Cross health interventions include:

• Support for Rural Schools and Community Health in China
  
• American Red Cross Malaria Prevention and Education Program
  
• Integrated Management of Childhood Illness: Saving the Lives of Young Children
  
• Measles Initiative, Saving Lives in Africa
  
• Together We Can: Peer Youth Education and Community Mobilization for HIV Prevention
  
• Food and nutrition programming
  
• HIV/AIDS Projects on Around the World