The Appleseed Health Project is designed to educate community members interested in better caring for themselves and their families. The project will provide a manual and training on basic healthcare and education to a seed group free of charge. The expectation and commitment is for each student to take these materials and teach the same skill set to another group.
The Goals of this project are as follows:
The objective of the Appleseed Health Project is to train people to provide safe, holistic health care to themselves and their family. The fabled Johnny Appleseed went about the country planting seeds, which grew into trees, which grew into spreading apple trees all over the country. Appleseed Health Project will plant the seeds of better health care knowledge with members of a community in a way that the knowledge can spread. The intention is to raise the level of basic healthcare knowledge and, consequently, wellness in the community. We have seen in the US and in communities with which we have partnered that the basic health care techniques and practices passed down by generations through families are being lost.
Our projects in Guatemala and Peru have dealt with this issue and helped us identify the need for a program like this. Today much of this basic information is no longer part of our common knowledge resulting in poorer health and more reliance on professional health care that many in society can not afford.
Training will be provided to members of a community free of charge. Recipients will be required to offer the training to ten other people. The Project will continue to provide support by making training materials available, answering questions, and offering supplemental training. To make the project sustainable, we would aim to train a coordinator or core group in a target community to provide this ongoing support.
The pilot training program will be run in Brattleboro, VT where GRACE Cares is based. If successful, the program will be developed and made available for use by other groups and in other communities. Eventually, we hope to adapt the program for use in communities around the world starting with our existing relationships.
The training manual covering common illnesses, their prevention, and care has been drafted. It needs editing and arrangement for publication. The plan for the project, as summarized above, has been developed and organized. It could be ready for implementation in the US shortly after the manual is produced. We have also implemented and studied some aspects of the program with our other projects and community contacts.
So many illnesses and health costs can be avoided if people are trained in basic health information. GRACE Cares believes empowering people to reach their goals starts with knowing how to care for your basic health needs.
$2000 is needed to complete the training manual, training materials, and host the first seminars of the Pilot Program. We are seeking a volunteer or intern with public health or medical experience to finish editing and reviewing the manual. We are also seeking persons with expertise in printing and publishing. Finally, we would greatly appreciate the donation or subsidization of printing services.
Once the above is completed we will begin planning for Stage 2 of the project.
