PATH: a catalyst for global health
PATH is an international, nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health. By collaborating with diverse public- and private-sector partners, we help provide appropriate health technologies and vital strategies that change the way people think and act. Our work improves global health and well-being.
-- http://www.path.org
PATH is a charity working to find solutions to the worlds biggest health problems. PATH invents new technologies, collects and distributes health information, works with local populations to disseminate information and materials, and partners with other organizations to provide whatever is needed. They work not only in underdeveloped areas in third world countries, but also run programs in America and other developed countries.
Some of their projects include:
- Providing AIDS education and services to AIDS-positive individuals. They have developed a type of syringe that cannot be reused and can be disposed of safely.
- Working with partners to develop and deliver vaccinations for meningitis, pneumonia, Shigella and, enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. They have also developed safer needles and more stable and protective vaccination delivery and storage systems.
- Simple, in field screening for health problems such as cervical cancer and vitamin A deficiency. They are also working to develop a "lab-on-a-card", a small piece of plastic that has microchannels to draw a blood sample through a series of various chemicals that will react to tell doctors working in the field what exactly is wrong. This is very important for making diagnoses in underdeveloped countries where traditional labs are not available. These are being tested in America and should be available soon.
- Educating women about available methods of contraception and family planning. They also have developed culturally appropriate and easy to use female condoms, diaphragms, and a gel that will protect against contracting HIV.
- Providing technologies and information to help make birthing safer for both the mother and the child. This includes equipment from portable baby resuscitators to scales to help identify low-birthweight infants. They have also developed a simple and effective Nevirapine delivery system for AIDS-positive mothers.
- Working to provide good nutrition. PATH has developed "Ultra Rice", a dietary supplement made from highly enriched rice flour. It is specially designed to be basically indistinguishable from real rice, and thus easy to introduce into local diets. It can be mixed into any rice dish without affecting the taste.
- PATH is currently starting up a program to provide clean, safe water to needy populations in India, and then on in to other areas of the world.
Before I donate to any charity, I always check out http://www.charitynavigator.org; according to CN, PATH shapes up very well. They have been working since 1977, and their accounts are all in order. They have an excellent 'fundraising efficiency' (ratio of money spent on fundraising to money spent on the program) -- so small that it rounds down to zero. This unfortunately means that they have a low public profile. They have high administration costs, but they are hiring trained professionals, and they get results for their investment. Their president makes $335,562 a year, which is on the high end for a major charity.
Visit them at http://www.path.org