TURNING IDEAS
INTO HEALTH
ACTION FOR TIBET
Burnet Institute is providing women, children, young people and elders with an opportunity to have their say in how their health and well-being could be improved. With more than ten years experience working to improve health in Tibet, Burnet has learned that the people themselves are in the best position to know what is needed to improve their health and to tell us what healthcare services they need. Currently our Tibetan staff are working with local health services to engage with communities in open forums that encourage people to express their hopes and ideas for activities to improve their health. The Burnet team supports the communities and gives them the resources, confidence and skills to turn these hopes and ideas into action. This approach has been a great success. In one county alone, nearly 2,000 rural Tibetans, 60% of them women, have taken part so far. Some of their innovative ideas include: developing Tibet’s first completely pictorial health education materials (many Tibetans cannot read); travelling theatre productions to promote health messages; and community education performances scripted and staged by young people. | | Given the community enthusiasm and response, Burnet is keen to undertake this program in a further eight counties in Tibet (see map above). This would reach a total of 282,000 people. But we need funds to support these communities to improve their health through quality healthcare services. To raise funds for this important work Burnet is seeking 3,000 people to each ‘invest’ in a $100 share in our ‘Ideas into Action’ appeal for Tibet, which will help us to support and empower 282,000 rural Tibetans: - to reduce deaths of mothers and babies by assisting pregnant women to attend antenatal care and to deliver their babies safely
- to prevent child deaths from diarrhoea by improving water supplies, sanitation and hygiene
- to improve childhood growth and development through better nutrition
- to improve the health of young people by making healthcare services more youth-friendly
- to reduce vulnerability to the spread of HIV infection
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