Knowing How to Make Sound Health Decisions

The booklet in Ainura’s hands contained potentially life-saving information such as recognizing signs of dehydration in her children. Ten years ago, this kind of information would never have been made public.

Her country, Kyrgyzstan, was part of the Soviet block under which all personal decisions were made by the system and never by the people. Health services were carefully scheduled and scripted under a one-size-fits-all system, regardless of individual needs or circumstances.

The booklet in Ainura's hands contains potentially life-saving information such as recognizing signs of dehydration in her children. Photo: Project HOPE This photo is 450x 338 pixels, 300 dpi, jpg format, 134.39 kb. You can right-click to save the file on your computer.

As the country shifted from communism to capitalism—a system that expects individuals to make decisions and take responsibility for every aspect of their lives—people have struggled to find the knowledge that can help them.

Project HOPE surveyed families in Jalalabat, Kyrgyzstan, and found that most simply do not know how to make sound health decisions. Indeed, of those families initially surveyed who had a child recently sick with diarrhea, none knew to seek professional help.

Thus, as a part of its Child Survival program, Project HOPE came up with an obvious solution, yet one no one had implemented before: easy-to-understand reference materials families can keep in their homes.

In the end, a total of 122,300 pamphlets and fliers about healthy living were distributed to homes throughout the project communities.

In a follow-up survey of those receiving the materials, including Ainura, women demonstrated a better understanding of health, and said they are feel a sense of power in making their own informed decisions.

 Return to Campaign Stories