Fondation Mérieux is dedicated to controlling infectious diseases in developing countries. Its approach focuses on prevention and diagnosis and breaks the barriers that may exist between human and animal medicine, North and South, and all involved.
In each of its fields of activity, it brings together and mobilizes the world's top doctors, pharmacists, researchers, and specialists in infectious diseases, vaccinology, and epidemiology... It runs projects that contribute to developing and strengthening the capacity of local governments in public health matters.
Fondation Mérieux has four main goals: support scientific research, share knowledge, support health structures and support patients and their families.
Building sustainable local skills
Fondation Mérieux has successfully completed practical aid projects in the emerging nations, thus contributing to sustainable development: the building of lecture rooms and a laboratory for pharmacy students in Madagascar, setting up of a system for supplying reagents to a clinical laboratory in Laos, financial support for scientific research in Cambodia, setting up of a training scheme for laboratory technicians in Mali...
Wherever possible, Fondation Mérieux forms public and private partnerships in the country in which it is active to ensure the long-term future of its projects. The purpose of this being that should Fondation Mérieux one day withdraw from a country, the structures set up will remain in place.
Advocate partnerships and networking
In its activity, Fondation Mérieux team has the support of a unique international network of scientific experts (doctors, pharmacists, researchers, specialists in infectious diseases, vaccinology, epidemiology...)
The Foundation does not carry out its projects by itself. It obtains support from many private partners - such as the Fondation Christophe et Rodolphe Mérieux - and public partners, such as international development organizations (NGOs, foundations...), international health authorities (such as the WHO) and government health authorities. Fondation Mérieux bases its activities on a global approach to help developing countries in the field of public health.
Pursue non-profit making fully independent objectives
Fondation Mérieux observes principles of absolute transparency and pursues non-profit making objectives. It is independent of any industrial or commercial interest.
Most of these patients however, remain in extremely precarious situations, with no economic resources, suffering from malnutrition and it is impossible for them to provide for their family needs. With little hope, these people are morally disheartened and do not adhere to their treatment properly.
Loans to patients
Since 2004, Fondation Mérieux and GHESKIO have been working in partnership with ACME to support its patients in Haiti.
This organization helps small entrepreneurs with no access to bank credit to develop their businesses by providing them with unsecured loans. By financing the ACME association, Fondation Mérieux is making micro-credits accessible to Haitian women with AIDS or to those where a family member is infected with this disease. They are selected from those people who come to the GHESKIO center for treatment.
This initiative is having a great impact. Most of the women that Fondation Mérieux is helping to create commercial activity and earn money have found a certain standard of life that enables them to buy food or even send their children to a paying school. In addition to this, they also adhere to their medication better. 90% of credits are repaid in less than 6 months.
Since 2005, two hundred of them living in Port Au Prince have already been able to benefit from this type of loan. The foundation wants to extend the ACME action throughout Haiti and to have more than 1,000 people in its program by 2008.
Learn more about the Fondation Mérieux : click here
To discover all our partners and how to support Xetic : click here
