Google is a company that believes deeply in entrepreneurship. And this is a company that believes deeply in the power of information. We don’t think there’s another organization that combines these two things in a more compelling way than Ashoka.
World Health Day 2008
Ashoka Honors the Work of Leading Social Entrepreneurs: Investing in Health, Building a Safer Future
To commemorate World Health Day 2008, Ashoka celebrates the remarkable contribution of Ashoka Fellows improving the quality of human health. Ashoka Fellows are:
- Strengthening disaster relief management systems,
- Creating new resources dedicated to the control of zoonotic transmission of diseases between animals and humans,
- Creating coalitions of public health professionals to fight cervical cancer and improve the treatment of women,
- Using techonology to build and maintain sewage systems that are appropriate for poor rural households, and
- Developing new standards for sustainable waste management.
For
the past 27 years, Ashoka has supported the world's leading social
entrepreneurs and their innovative solutions to such issues as global
health. In recognition of Ashoka Fellows’ response to critical public
health needs, Ashoka takes this opportunity to raise awareness of their
ground-breaking approaches and relentless commitment to creating a
healthier world.
Eko Teguh Paripurno, Indonesia
By the time he graduated with a degree in volcanism, Eko had established his interest in disaster relief management. Together with his fellow graduates he founded KAPPALA, an organization devoted to strengthening community participation in defending the environment. When Mt. Merapi erupted in 1994, KAPPALA avoided mistakes made by government disaster relief programs by incorporating local knowledge and practices to save lives. Eko recognizes that, while his five-step response system is critical for effective assistance and recovery, it is necessary for governments to change how they manage resources and the environment. Therefore, Eko advocates for local governments to include proper resource management in policy-making.
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Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda
Veterinarian Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka created Uganda’s first wildlife health monitoring infrastructure that links animal health with human health. Her organization, Conservation Through Public Health, facilitates institutional change and the creation of new resources dedicated to the control of zoonotic transmission of diseases between animals and humans. Employing communities to observe these transmission trends, she then rallies them to protect both themselves and wildlife. An effective education campaign reinforces this link between public health, conservation, ecotourism, livelihoods and the economic value of wildlife.
Sandra Peniche Quintal, Mexico
After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Sandra’s treatments brought her in contact with low-income women suffering from cervical cancer. Upon getting to know these women, she created a coalition of public health professionals to prepare doctors to fight cervical cancer and improve their treatment of women. The coalition brings together CSOs, medical associations, and government health services to create training for medical professionals. Reduced death from cervical cancer provides momentum for her initiatives to address a wider range of issues in reproductive health and expanding throughout Latin America.
Sameh Ghali, Egypt
Always fascinated with ways technology might solve his country's most pressing environmental, health and poverty problems, Sameh works with villagers to build and maintain sewage systems that are appropriate for poor rural households. Sameh invites local communities to actively participate in planning the sanitation systems implemented in their communities and only introduces improved technology ideas after group discussion to determine their needs. By reducing the pollution of canals and underground water, he improves the environment and health conditions of village populations while establishing a sense of ownership in the community.
Juan Carlos Calizaya Luna, Peru
Juan Carlos is creating a new field of sustainable waste management in Peru by bringing together communities, engineering professionals and government policymakers for the common goal of clean water and better health for all Peruvians. Juan Carlos’ ECOSAN coalition advocates small investments, community by community, in which citizens unite to subsidize 40% of project costs for a reliable waste management program that helps protect against water-borne diseases. ECOSAN not only makes the program more affordable, but turns detractors into direct contributors of a solution, ensuring its long-term survival.