Making sure we leave a better planet for future generations

Affordable Health Initiative (AHI) is a charity, registered in the UK in June 2019. At AHI CIO, we are united by our vision: “A world in which every child has access to the necessary tools to fulfil their potential and flourish.”

All children have the right to good health and quality education. Get involved>

“Making Every School a Health Promoting School”(HPS).

AHI has developed a simple, scalable, and sustainable HPS model, piloted it using an implementation research methodology, and is implementing it across the world. The scalable Health Promoting School programme and technical support are available to motivated people to implement it across the world, in their own locality, under request. (LEARN MORE>)

A multi-centre study was designed to assess the implementation and impact of the Affordable Health Initiative (AHI) Health Promoting School (HPS) model. The recruitment of centres and co-investigators is based on dedication and commitment to a team effort to achieve goals that cannot be reached via a single centre effort. LEARN MORE>

AHI is piloting the implementation and evaluation its Health Promoting School model in District Federal, Brasil (LEARN MORE>); state of Minas Gerais, Brasil (LEARN MORE>); and State of São Paulo, Brasil (LEARN MORE>), in South America; Afigya Kwabre South District, Ghana (LEARN MORE>); Ife District , Nigeria; and Somalia, in Africa.

SEE OUR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES>

Education: Teaching what matters for life.

Learning through play.

The AHI HPS model adopts the constructivist pedagogical approach. (LEARN MORE>)

The AHI HPS programme includes two educational games: the “Health Detective Game” where children play the role of a health detective to empower them to take control over their health; the “Quiz Game” which is a form of game, in which the players attempt to answer a series of questions correctly, to test their knowledge about specific subjects.

Play activities as “Gardening” provides opportunities for increasing scientific knowledge and understanding, and improving literacy and numeracy, pupils’ confidence, resilience and self-esteem. The “Classroom-based Physical Activity Breaks” is a strategy that aims to increase daily participation in physical activity in schools, which improve academic performance. The “Fitness Game” is played in teams to help school children developing character and teamwork skills to participate in social interactions, work together to achieve goals, and build skills such as teamwork and leadership.

Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle.

AHI HPS model moves beyond the outdated belief that risk awareness-raising programmes lead to behavioural change. Instead, it uses health promotion approaches in line with the Affordable Health Initiative theoretical framework. LEARN MORE>

Implementing the UNICEF Wash, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme.

The “Basic Hygiene Practices” intervention aims to consolidate good personal hygiene behaviour. AHI implements the UNICEF Wash, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) programme in schools, a well-established health initiative designed to improve the effectiveness of promoting hygiene behaviour, safe water and toilets to keep children alive and healthy. AHI added tooth brushing with fluoridated toothpaste WASH to prevent dental diseases.

Distributing Healthy Food

A healthy diet is not complicated but expensive. This intervention aims to support behaviour change and facilitating adoption of a healthy diet in low-income communities as well as to reduce food waste and the impact of food waste in the environment. Food distribution is delivered in collaboration with existing approaches, for example as adopted by members of the Global Foodbank Network.

Providing Health Care

The AHI HPS Primary Health Care intervention addresses the Julian Tudor Hart law “those who most need medical care are least likely to receive it. Conversely, those with least need of health care tend to use health services more (and more effectively), by ensuring that no school children in low-income populations are left behind.

The AHI HPS Primary Health Care intervention monitors (health surveillance) and organises treatment for the drivers of child and adolescent health loss. It addresses the consequences of long-lasting negative health outcomes beginning in childhood and the effects of long-term morbidity on health systems and human health capital.

“Putting the mouth back into the body”

Oral diseases, if left untreated, causes a considerable health, social and economic burden. Around 1 in 3 children worldwide experiences dental pain at least once in their life due to untreated dental caries and tooth infection. The AHI HPS programme offers a modern biological approach to prevent and manage tooth decay. Read more>

Tooth decay is the most prevalent disease affecting humanity. Currently there are more than 3.5 billion cases of untreated oral diseases, recording 2.5 billion untreated dental caries cases in permanent teeth and 600 million in deciduous teeth wide world, causing suffering in nearly half of the world population. The AHI HPS programme offers a modern biological approach to prevent and manage tooth decay. Read more>

The AHI HPS Programme

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Individual interventions that compose the AHI HPS programme and desirable outcomes of each intervention:

Using implementation research methodology, the Affordable Health Research Centre collaborators have demonstrated that the feasibility of implementing the AHI HPS model in low-income localities.

Theoretical Framework

Health, Education, and Income are strongly interconnected.

In early life, healthier children achieve better results at school. Later in life, educated people are more likely to understand their health needs, follow health instructions, advocate for themselves and their families, and communicate effectively with health providers. Poor health and low education are associated with lack of job opportunities and lower income, which has a major negative effect on health. Having sufficient income enables adoption of a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, low income and fewer resources force people to live in socially deprived neighbourhoods. These neighbourhoods are often economically marginalised. They congregate and amplify health risk factors. These are lack of safe drinking water, lack of sanitation, fewer high-quality schools, less access to sources of healthy food with an oversupply of fast food restaurants and outlets that promote unhealthy foods. Furthermore, they are more prone to environmental hazards such as higher levels of toxins, air and water pollution, hazardous waste, pesticides, and industrial chemicals. LEARN MORE>