World Health Day: 'My health, my right’

Every year we celebrate World Health Day on 7^th April. This day marks the inception of the World Health Organisation at the First Health Assembly in 1948, which took effect in 1950. This event serves as an opportunity to attract the attention of the world on important aspects of global health and to discuss the methods to advance human rights for health, even in the face of global emergencies.

Health is not just the absence of diseases or infirmity, it is a state of physical, mental, and social -well-being. All over the world natural disasters, diseases, conflicts, climate crisis, and sanitation problems are the main causes of death, disability, and even psychological distress.

SUVIDHA abbreviated as Society for the Upliftment of Villagers & Development of Himalayan Areas is a non-profit, rural development and voluntary organization that aims at eliminating poverty, poor health, and illiteracy for 60% of citizens who still live in the backward areas of India. We aim to accelerate their holistic development with the help of sustainable means and we firmly believe that this will be possible if they have the right and access to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health.

Our pioneering research has underscored the dangers inherent in chemical farming practices, the risks of genetic engineering, and the costs of industrial agriculture. This research has proved that ecological agriculture, with its emphasis on organic methods is highly productive and is the only lasting solution to hunger and poverty which play an important role in defining the standard of health conditions of the people.

For the last 20 years, SUVIDHA has been engaged in the promoting of organic and sustainable agriculture in India especially in states like Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Odisha, Assam, Bihar, Meghalaya, Andaman & Nicobar, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

Burning of fossil fuels is driving the devastating climate change and depleting the health conditions of people. According to the World Health Organisation, usage of fossil fuels for household purposes was responsible for an estimated 3.2 million deaths per year in 2020, including over 237000 deaths of children under the age of 5.

With continued efforts that encompass the promotion of livelihoods and a systematic fight against climate change, SUVIDHA initiated Project PRAYAS, Project Foot Print, Verified Carbon Emission Reduction Programme, and CBM Climate Action. These projects aim to counter climate change and cut carbon emissions by working on carbon retention and judicial use of natural resources. We have commissioned more than 2821 Bio-Gas units at the households of marginal farmers, who were using fuel wood. Climate-friendly interventions have been introduced through efforts such as providing improved cookstoves in order to tackle the issue of deteriorating indoor air quality and reducing respiratory diseases, and providing proper access to safe drinking water through solar powered community drinking water tanks and ceramic household filters leading to reduced waterborne diseases in the rural communities.

SUVIDHA has played an important role in renovation of PHC (Public Health centers) in the villages for accessibility of health services, additionally we have been organizing health camps on a regular basis. We have established Poshan Banks (Kitchen Gardens) for addressing malnutrition in the community especially among women and children. The theme for World Health Day 2024, which is 'My Health My Right', resonate with the core principles that drives SUVIDHA, the belief that everyone, everywhere should have access to quality health services.