Life or Death? Expanding Access to Medicine Worldwide
For sick children living in extreme poverty, medicine is the difference between life and death.
Our team in South Sudan met 18-month old Joyce when her mother, Jennifer, got sick. Jennifer had not been feeling well for some time. She began to realize that her hope of improvement might not happen without medical intervention. One morning, Jennifer decided to visit a public health clinic run by CMMB in Ezo. She says, “I was advised by the health worker that both Joyce and I needed to be tested for HIV. I followed her advice and found out that both Joyce and I were HIV positive.”
Without immediate and effective treatment, Joyce would not have lived to see her second birthday.
Baby Joyce was very sick. She was diagnosed with TB. CMMB’s physician recommended that Joyce immediately begin antiretroviral therapy, antibiotics to fight TB, and nutritional support. Treatment helped boost Joyce’s immunity and overall health. The power of access to these essential medicines is clear in the before and after photos of Joyce (above). Without immediate and effective treatment for TB, HIV, and malnutrition, Joyce would not have lived to see her second birthday.
Jennifer and Joyce today in South Sudan.
As Jennifer brought Joyce to the clinic for ongoing treatment and medicine, a community counselor introduced her to a support group in Ezo for people living with HIV and AIDS. With encouragement from counselors and support group members, Jennifer realized that she could live with HIV and have a meaningful, healthy life. Jennifer found the courage to begin treatment and with continuous follow-ups from CMMB, her overall health greatly improved. Jennifer says, “I appreciate the help from CMMB’s program. My baby’s health has drastically improved. CMMB has changed our lives.”
According to the WHO, 1.7 billion people worldwide lack access to essential medicines.
CMMB’s trusted pharmaceutical donation program delivers health and hope to some of the poorest women, children and communities in the world. Thanks to trusted corporate partners, CMMB can ship nearly $20,000 worth of medicines for every $100 donated. That means donor gifts are multiplied 18X.
Children like Joyce fuel CMMB’s mission to serve the most vulnerable. And the simple truth is that medicine saves lives. With the support of our many partners, we are reaching thousands of women and children with essential medicine, wherever and whenever it’s needed.