How CRS supporters are strengthening families, communities and care

health updatesignature fund 2015 update

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58 million people

176 projects

49 countries

2015 Scope of Programming

By focusing on nutrition, child health and well-being, and strengthening faith-based health systems, your gifts make a lasting impact in communities around the world.

This presentation highlights some of the 99 CRS health projects that you have made possible.

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Your Gifts At Work

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Nutrition

TanzaniaEdina has learned the importance of good nutrition for her children’s growth by participating in the CRS THRIVE program. Photo by Philip Laubner/CRS.

795 million people in the world don’t have enough food to lead healthy and active lives.

1 in 6 children in developing countries is underweight, and poor nutrition claims the lives of 3.1

million children under 5 each year.—2015 World Food Program Hunger Statistics

Malnutrition can result from lack of food, Illness, inadequate health care, unsafe water, lack of sanitation and hygiene practices, or limited knowledge about nutrition. Your gifts enable CRS to engage communities, families and providers to address the causes of malnutrition, to detect and treat it when it occurs, and to stop preventable deaths.

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Central African RepublicPeople line up for a food voucher distribution in LobayeDistrict, Central African Republic. The vouchers, offered to more than 10,800 people, allow them to buy nutritious food while supporting local markets. Photo by Sam Phelps for CRS.

GhanaIn Tichirigitaba Village, Ghana, a young girl uses a “tippy tap” hands-free hand-washing station after using the latrine. The latrine and hand-washing station drastically decrease the spread of disease. Photo by Karen Kasmauski for CRS.

Nutrition

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Burkina FasoStudents in Ms. Aghiratou’s 4th-grade class learn about sanitation and hygiene. By best practices in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, CRS’ Kom Yilma project is keeping more than 166,000 students, parents, teachers and community members healthy. Photo by Michael Stulman/CRS.

NigeriaBy offering cooking demonstrations and food banks, CRS’ SMILE project is empowering families to take responsibility for their children’s health. Photo by Michael Stulman/CRS.

Nutrition

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6.3 million children under 5 die every year, most from preventable causes.

—U.S. Agency for International Development

Skilled care before, during and after childbirth—particularly the first 48 hours—can save the lives

of women and newborn babies.—World Health Organization

Thanks to your generosity, CRS’ child health programs focus on the critical first 5 years of life to put an end to preventable child and maternal deaths.

Child Health and Well-Being

TanzaniaHIV-positive expectant mother Asha participates in CRS’ THRIVE project in Tanzania. THRIVE includes child care centers, children’s health initiatives, and lessons for parents on positive parenting to level the playing field for 15,000 children under age 5 affected by HIV. Photo by Philip Laubner/CRS.

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GuineaIn Guinea, a mother and her child visit St. Gabriel Clinic for health services. Even during the Ebola outbreak, the CRS-supported clinic continued seeing more than 250 patients a day—mostly women and children to provide vital care. Photo by Jennifer Poidatz/CRS.

IndiaSunita, a community maternal health care worker in India, counsels pregnant mother Nirmala. A lack of maternal care is one of the biggest threats to women and children worldwide. With the help of a mobile phone, an app and education provided by CRS, counselors like Sunita are delivering timely at-home support to pregnant and nursing mothers. Sunita has provided maternal care to more than 500 womensince she became an ASHA in 2007. Photo by Jennifer Hardy/CRS.

Child Health and Well-Being

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Democratic Republic of CongoRisk receives care for daughter Azina’s respiratory infections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Healthy Babies and Mothers project increases access to health care. Photo by Sam Phelps for CRS.

Democratic Republic of CongoRusi checks in at a food distribution site in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. CRS provides mothers with high-calorie meal supplements for their children in the vital first 1,000 days of life—from early pregnancy to their 2nd birthday, reducing chronic malnutrition in children and supporting healthy physical and mental development. Photo by Sam Phelps for CRS.

Child Health and Well-Being

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Strengthening Health Systems

KenyaThe Talek Community Health Centre hosts CRS’ Families Matter program in which parents of adolescents come together to discuss child rearing and their children’s challenges as they mature. Families Matter has engaged 120,064 parents–more than twice the program’s original goal. Photo by Debbie DeVoe for CRS.

An estimated 21.8 million infants do not receive basic vaccines.

—World Health Organization

The global deficit of doctors, nurses and midwives is at least 2.4 million.

—World Health Organization

CRS maximizes relationships with faith-based health networks and facilities, often located in remote areas without government services. With your help, our health programs served 51.6 million people in 2014.

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VietnamHundreds of thousands of Vietnamese children have physical disabilities—some as a result of land mines and other legacies of the Vietnam War. These children are often ostracized—in some cases by their own families. CRS ensures they receive what they need—physical therapy, wheelchairs, hearing aids, and specially trained teachers—to reach their full potential. Photo by Ngyuen Thi Tu Nga/CRS.

Sierra Leonevolunteers to raise public awareness to Santigi uses a hands-free hand-washing station in Sierra Leone during the Ebola outbreak. CRS and our partners trained 400 prevent thespread of Ebola. Photo by Tommy Trenchard for Caritas.

Strengthening Health Systems

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GuineaDr. Lucy Koivogui and hundreds of other health care workers participated in CRS training to reduce the risk of Ebola transmission at health facilities. CRS trained more than 3,000 health care workers on when and how to use protective medical equipment, and on proper hygiene measures like effective hand-washing. Photo by Michael Stulman/CRS.

Democratic Republic of CongoArlette and her son Mabula sit under a mosquito net in their home in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They received the net from a CRS program at a community health center. We’re a leading partner in the Global

Fund Malaria Program, which seeks to reduce Malaria infection and death rates by 50%―targeting more than 223,000 people and providing insecticide-treated bed nets, medications, and diagnostic testing in health care centers. Photo by Sam Phelps for CRS.

Strengthening Health Systems

Thank you for all you are doing to protect the health of vulnerable

families around the world.

health updatesignature fund 2015 update