💚 Health
How we care for bodies, minds, and communities
The Problem
Modern healthcare is sick-care — it waits until people are broken, then sells expensive fixes. The system profits from illness, not health. The real determinants of health (clean air, water, food, community) are ignored.
The Alternative
Prevention First
Clean air, real food, movement, rest, connection, and purpose — the actual medicine. Invest upstream instead of downstream.
Open Medical Knowledge
Publicly funded research belongs to the public. Open-access studies, transparent drug pricing, and open-source medical devices.
Community Health Circles
Small groups meeting regularly to share health knowledge, support each other, and reduce isolation — which is itself a health intervention.
Mental Health as Foundation
Normalize talking about mental health. Train community members in psychological first aid. Address root causes: inequality, insecurity, isolation.
Hygiene & Cooking
Basic hygiene and home cooking are the frontline of health. Teach food preparation skills, fermentation, nutrition, and sanitation in every community. Cooking together builds connection and replaces processed food with real nourishment.
Start Here
- ✓Cook real food. Move your body. Sleep enough.
- ✓Learn to cook three simple, nourishing meals from scratch
- ✓Teach children basic hygiene and food safety
- ✓Start a community cooking circle or shared kitchen
- ✓Check on your neighbors — connection is medicine
- ✓Start a community health or walking group
- ✓Learn basic first aid and health literacy
- ✓Advocate for clean air and water in your area
Already Happening
OpenMRS
Global (Kenya / USA origin) · Est. 2004
An open-source electronic medical record platform operating in over 80 countries across 8,100+ health facilities, serving more than 16 million patients in resource-constrained environments.
GNU Health
Las Palmas, Spain (global deployments) · Est. 2006
A free hospital information system focused on social medicine and public health determinants. Deployed in national health systems across Argentina, Jamaica, Cameroon, and Laos. Recognized as a UN Digital Public Good.
Open Healthcare Network
Ernakulam, India · Est. 2020
An open-source healthcare system that grew from a COVID-19 volunteer response into a comprehensive platform operational across 11 Indian states, benefiting over 186 million people.
Partners In Health
Boston, USA (10+ countries) · Est. 1987
Embeds community health workers in underserved communities to deliver preventive care, with over 12,000 workers conducting 800,000+ home visits per year, proving prevention-first healthcare works everywhere.
Aravind Eye Care System
Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India · Est. 1976
The world's largest eye care provider, conducting community eye camps in remote villages to catch curable conditions early. Over 90 million outpatient visits and 10.8 million surgeries, mostly free.
The Friendship Bench
Harare, Zimbabwe (6+ countries) · Est. 2006
Trained lay health workers deliver structured therapy on park benches at clinics. Clients join peer-led support circles combining emotional support with income-generating activities. Has served over 700,000 people.
StrongMinds
Uganda, Zambia, Malawi · Est. 2013
Treats depression at scale in sub-Saharan Africa through group talk therapy delivered by trained lay facilitators. Treated over 426,000 people in 2024 alone — one of the most cost-effective mental health interventions globally.
OpenEvidence
Boston, USA · Est. 2022
A medical knowledge platform providing healthcare professionals with clinical answers grounded in peer-reviewed research, making evidence-based knowledge accessible at the point of care.
Medic (Community Health Toolkit)
Nairobi, Kenya / San Francisco, USA · Est. 2010
Steward of the open-source Community Health Toolkit deployed across 15 countries, equipping 40,000+ community health workers with offline-first mobile apps powering 85 million caring activities.
Dimagi (CommCare)
Cambridge, USA / Cape Town / New Delhi · Est. 2002
Builds CommCare, the world's most widely deployed open-source mobile platform for frontline health workers — used by 700,000+ workers in 80 countries, shown to decrease maternal mortality by 18%.
Bahmni
India (global deployments) · Est. 2012
A free, open-source hospital information system for low-resource environments. Used by 500+ hospitals across 50 countries, recognized as a UN Digital Public Good.
Project ECHO
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA (global) · Est. 2003
Connects specialist physicians with primary care providers in underserved areas via video teleconference. 412 hubs in 41 countries with learners from 160+ nations democratizing medical expertise.
Last Mile Health
Monrovia, Liberia / Boston, USA · Est. 2007
Partners with governments to design national community health worker programs bringing preventive care to the most remote communities. Co-designed Liberia's first national CHW program.
Intelehealth
Bangalore, India · Est. 2016
An open-source telemedicine platform enabling governments and NGOs to deliver healthcare where there are no doctors. Community health workers conduct guided assessments and connect patients remotely.
Ember Mental Health
London, UK (global) · Est. 2019
Identifies and funds promising community-based mental health initiatives in low- and middle-income countries. 2025 cohort spans 12 countries championing locally led approaches.