Through his annual Holiday Impact Prize, Nicholas Kristof, opinion writer for The New York Times, is awarding $150,000 to three organizations making extraordinary differences in global health and community service.
The prize, now in its sixth year, aims to connect generous readers with effective but lesser-known organizations working on critical issues in health, education, and human rights.
Among this year’s recipients, the Fistula Foundation provides corrective surgeries for women suffering from obstetric fistula, a devastating childbirth injury that occurs when women lack access to emergency C-sections. At $619 per surgery, the foundation has helped over 100,000 women across 30 countries regain their dignity and rejoin their communities.
Muso Health, led by Harvard-trained physician Ari Johnson, has achieved extraordinary results in reducing child mortality in Mali and five other African countries. Their approach involves training local women as community health workers, equipping them with diagnostic tools and medicine, and using smartphone apps to guide care delivery. In Mali, their intervention reduced child mortality by 95% over seven years in their operating areas, and even achieved a 63% reduction in regions affected by armed conflict.
The program’s cost-effectiveness is notable, requiring just $22 per person annually to provide access to their healthcare network.
“We believe no one anywhere should die waiting for health care,” Dr. Johnson said to Kristof. “Every person deserves care with the speed and urgency we would want for our own children.”
Read the full opinion article by Nicholas Kristof in the November 23, 2024 edition of The New York Times: Gift Ideas That Push Back the Darkness
Read more about Nicholas Kristof’s 2024 Holiday Impact Prize
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