1. Home
  2. Health Promotion

Health Promotion

Fieldset
Health Promotion

Health promotion means providing people with information and advice on good health practices, treatment and care.  For example, it can include advice on how to stop the spread of diseases, ensure a child gets the right nutrition, or help someone get swift medical care when they need it. 

Activities might include health promoters giving a talk in person; sharing messages through the media (e.g. radio) or online; or using stories, songs and plays.

Because health promotion has the potential to make a lasting impact on a community’s health, it’s a vital part of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF)’s work.

Domingas - MSF Peer educator
Domingas
Health Promoter
How peer educators are changing lives in Mozambique
Stigmatised people like sex workers often find it hard to access medical care, which can have serious consequences. That's where peer educators come in. As community members they build trust and offer support, empowering people to take control of their health. Peer educator Domingas shares her story...
14 Jun 2022 / 3 minute read
Light in the morning
Dale Koninckx, MSF anthropologist
Dale Koninckx
Anthropologist
Longread: Semi-nomadic healthcare in South Sudan – First day in the cattle camps
MSF anthropologist Dale joins the healthcare promotion team in a remote region of South Sudan
23 May 2022 / 15 minute read
Katherine Mezie
Catherine Mezie
Health Promoter
Meet the team supporting families affected by Lassa Fever in Nigeria
In Ebonyi State, MSF health promotion teams are raising awareness of Lassa fever, a viral haemorrhagic fever which, untreated, can be fatal. But the work doesn't stop there, as Catherine Mezie explains...
08 Dec 2021 / 5 minute read
Health promotion staff speaking to displaced people in Borno State
Dogara Yohana - MSF health promoter
Dogara Yohana
Health Promoter
Blood and community: How health promotion is saving lives in Nigeria
Medical teams in Ngala were facing a major shortage of blood donors, with serious consequences. Health promoter Dogara Yohana explains how his team set out to help...
24 Aug 2021 / 6 minute read
Alice Outside Sinuni Hospital
Alice Higginson
Health Promoter
Working with the Yezidi in the time of COVID-19: Part One
Health promotion specialist Alice recently returned from assignment in Iraq, where she was part of a team offering vital medical services to local people, many of whom have lived through decades of violence. She writes…
01 Mar 2021 / 4 minute read
Conditions in a camp for people displaced by armed conflict in Benue state, Nigeria
Nigerian health promoter supervisor John Asema
John Asema
Health Promoter
"We are here to save lives": health promotion in Nigerian IDP camps
Every minute, 20 people are forcibly displaced as a result of conflict or persecution, fleeing their homes and villages for the safety of camps. However, they are not out of harm's way once in these camps, where unsanitary conditions and unsafe practices pose a serious risk to their health. That's where health promoter supervisor John and his team come in...
21 Nov 2019 / 5 minute read
An outreach worker in Bentiu
Elizabeth Wait MSF
Elizabeth Wait
Health Promoter
Let's talk about sex: STIs, stigma and South Sudan
Imagine striking up a conversation about sexually transmitted diseases with a stranger in a public place. Now imagine doing this in a foreign country with unfamiliar languages and cultural practices. Health promoter Elizabeth learns South Sudan is full of surprises...
20 Nov 2019 / 5 minute read
The health promotion team in Bentiu, South Sudan
Elizabeth Wait MSF
Elizabeth Wait
Health Promoter
A small army of anthropologists
Could you talk to a stranger about something as sensitive as family planning? How about doing it in a marketplace or while waiting in line? British health promoter Elizabeth shares how a team in South Sudan are reshaping health education...
11 Jul 2019 / 6 minute read
The MSF team involved in the hepatitis C screening
Tassawar Ali, MSF health promotion supervisor in Pakistan
Tassawar Ali
Health Promoter
"We don't leave anyone behind": Fighting hepatitis in Pakistan
If you were infected with hepatitis C, would you realise? Most people don't, and that's a real problem in Machar Colony, Pakistan, where many people have no idea that they're living with the virus. Meet the team determined to change that, and to save lives in the process...
20 Mar 2019 / 5 minute read
Health promotion workshop in Pakistan
Nance Cunningham
Health Promoter
What is a health promoter?
What exactly is health promotion? Canadian Nance Cunningham – a flying health promoter – explains the impact of this vital role while on assignment with Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF), training teams in Pakistan.
13 Dec 2018 / 4 minute read
Nance Cunningham
Health Promoter
Health promotion in Pakistan: Patchwork
How can you plan to serve a community if you don't know how many people live there? Nance is in Pakistan, where she's working for Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders (MSF) as a health promoter. Today, she explains why Google Maps, sticky tape, and a lot of patience has been crucial to the team's work...
01 May 2018 / 5 minute read
Izzy Scott Moncrief
Health Promoter
(Not all) Doctors Without Borders
Izzy is a health promoter from the UK. She's out in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where she and the team are working to prevent outbreaks of disease...
19 Jan 2018 / 8 minute read

MSB4072.jpg

Florian Lems/MSF
Fieldset
Ready to support the team?
Your donation helps us act fast and save lives
Donate