The Living Proof Project is a multimedia initiative intended to highlight successes of U.S.-funded global health initiatives. By reporting success stories back to the people who funded them - American taxpayers and their representatives - we hope to reframe the current global health conversation. Millions of lives have already been transformed and saved with effective, affordable solutions. We have the knowledge, innovative technologies and proven tools to do much more.
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The People Much of what people read and hear is bad news – terrible statistics and sad stories. The purpose of the Living Proof Project is to share good news: Together, we can help the world’s poorest people improve their lives. We know, because we’ve seen living proof. People’s lives are improving in measurable ways. There’s no travel required to meet some of the people whose lives have been changed by investments in global health. Their stories are here on this website, told through video and photo galleries . They are testimony to the fact that when you improve health, life improves by every other measure. There’s the HIV-positive mother in Ethiopia who, with free antiretroviral drugs and $50 from PEPFAR, started a business and can now support her children. There’s the clinic in Ghana teaching mothers and fathers about the important role breastfeeding plays in raising healthy babies. There are also food fortification programs that fight malnutrition by fortifying staple foods. |
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The Investment The money the United States spends in developing countries to prevent disease and fight poverty is effective, empowers people, and is appreciated. To understand the big picture, consider how much America is currently spending on global health. The federal budget for 2010 is $3.591 trillion. Of that, only about $8 billion, or roughly one quarter of one percent, goes to global health. Even with this small percentage of the budget, U.S. investments in global health have saved millions of lives. When we make investments to improve the health of a community, we improve the lives of people living there on many other levels:
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The Progress There are many success stories:
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What Can I Do? One of the biggest barriers to changing the world is the belief that nothing ever gets better. The best way to change what people believe is to change the way they talk. Tell your friends and family that progress is possible. The world is already saving lives, and if we invest more money and time, we can save more lives. Dispel the myths. When you hear someone say ‘It’s just money down a hole,’ or ‘Saving lives just leads to overpopulation,’ tell them why they’re wrong. These investments work. They empower people, and they’re appreciated. Keep coming back to this website. We will continue to tell more stories of living proof – adding more video and photo galleries, creating more infographics, and launching exciting new programs. |
