Taking health education for granted is easy. The very basic steps towards health education are taught to many of us at a very early stage in life, such as hand-washing. For many people, that education is often simply not available to them, along with easy access to a healthcare facility. Education is key to so many areas of health: from sanitation to disease prevention. An educated community can identify areas of risk for themselves and this knowledge is easily transferable, particularly if Community Health Groups or Village Committees disseminate the information.

Ensuring that that information is accessible to all, in local languages, is a significant part of the work our local teams undertake. In many of the countries where we work, providing basic signage to educate local communities about risk, and also prevention, makes a huge difference to the health literacy of the people living there.