Raising Awareness is the Key to Save Life

Health is one of the most important things in life. It plays a pivotal role in ensuring your ability to have a quality life, enjoy your daily activities, and become productive in personal and professional settings. Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. Physical health encompasses not only preventing illness but also the overall well-being of our bodies, enabling us to perform daily activities with intensity and enthusiasm. In essence, prioritizing our physical health is an essential step toward achieving a balanced and rewarding life. It’s easier to maintain a healthy body when we’re young. As we get old, our body has undergone so much experience and work that it has become less productive in battling sickness. The increased risk of infections in older populations has become a serious issue, particularly in developing countries where families lack self-awareness about the situation. 

An illness that commonly occurs in the elderly is Tuberculosis (TB) which is an issue mainly affecting the lungs. Cambodia remains one of the countries around the world that has strongly suffered from Tuberculosis. Being the leading causes of morbidity and mortality, many factors were examined such as poverty, malnutrition, and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which can weaken the immune system and increase the chances of infection. However, another key reason why the disease takes away so many lives is due to the lack of knowledge on how to prevent or treat it. Population Services International (PSI) is among the organizations that are actively working on ensuring people have access to quality and affordable health care. PSI has projects to help raise awareness toward TB and also help treat those who have tested positive for TB. 

iMPACT STORY was able to detail the impact through the video documentary about this wholesome project. Through this action, we can see how many people were able to be educated about the illness. Moreover, they are now better prepared to protect themselves and prevent TB from spreading across communities. It’s essential for not only the patients to know about the risk but also their family members. Having family members understand the significance of how to stay protected from TB and the symptoms grants the family with knowledge they need to help overcome or make decisions on how to deal with it. Many people died from illness because they were too late to realize and people around them weren’t able to detect the symptom. 

“ខ្មែរ ជួយ ខ្មែរ” or “Khmer help Khmer” is a popular term representing our nation’s kind heart and helping each other in the time of struggle. This mentality can be easily achieved with the community knowing how to address the illness and support each other. We believe that families and communities having awareness of Tuberculosis will help provide comfort on many levels to elders in the community who are vulnerable to the illness. With the older generation not having the foundation knowledge to understand all of the risks they are facing, we as the young change agent could be the answer and key to leading them into a peaceful life.