Open Society Foundations HEALTH AND RIGHTS The Open Society Foundations work to ensure that all people have access to health and human rights. $128.5M 2020 EXPENDITURES FOR HEALTH AND RIGHTS 12.8% PERCENTAGE OF GLOBAL EXPENDITURES 44.8% AVERAGE ANNUAL CHANGE IN EXPENDITURES SINCE 2016 Explore our full expenditures by theme and region OUR WORK A man receives a test for COVID-19, at a homeless shelter, in Budapest, on May 13, 2020. © Akos Stiller/Redux Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare deep inequalities in access to health care that the Open Society Foundations work to combat. This work began in the 1990s, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the Foundations supported efforts to strengthen health services in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, including work to contain HIV and tuberculosis—then rife in prisons and places of detention. Today, we work across the globe to support communities that receive substandard care or face barriers to services because of who they are—including Roma and other minorities, transgender and intersex people, people living with disabilities and experiencing mental health problems, sex workers, people who use drugs, and migrants and refugees. A paralegal and an advocate for sex workers’ rights talks to a client next to an outreach van in Cape Town, South Africa. © Sven Torfinn/Panos for the Open Society Foundations Our work seeks to advance an inclusive vision of health as a public good—an issue of paramount importance in the search to deliver therapies and a vaccine for COVID-19. That vision calls for health care to be available to all, for laws and policies governing health to be transparent and democratically accountable, and medical innovation to deliver solutions that are accessible to everyone. Mental Health Three women who live in a home established for adults living with mental health challenges bake pies in Gurjaani, Georgia. © Ami Vitale for the Open Society Foundations The Open Society Foundations advocate for the rights of people with lived experiences of mental health challenges who face deeply rooted stigma, rights violations, and social exclusion. We support the participation of people with these challenges in decisions that affect them, and a mental health practice that respects their dignity and agency. Prenatal and Early Childhood An education facilitator shows a brochure on home safety to a woman and two children. © Sanja Knezevic for the Open Society Foundations Our Early Childhood and Public Health programs are funding Roma Healthy Start, an initiative aimed at improving prenatal and early childhood care for Roma mothers and babies. The effort seeks to reduce infant mortality and to address developmental challenges by taking a comprehensive approach to caring for pregnant women and their families. Palliative and End-of-Life Care A man in a wheelchair is visited by a palliative care nurse who provides medicine and legal advice in Nyeri, Kenya. © Sven Torfinn/Panos for the Open Society Foundations Open Society has been advocating for the provision of palliative and end-of-life care since the 1990s. Today, this work includes not only working to ensure access to adequate pain relief, but also efforts to provide relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness—improving quality of life for both the patient and the family. Drug Policy and Harm Reduction People without homes who are also drug users wash dishes at a shelter in Recife, Brazil on December 12, 2016. © Lianne Milton/Panos for the Open Society Foundations Together with our foundations, our Public Health and Global Drug Policy programs advocate for drug policy focused on public health and safety, rather than punishment. We support approaches that do not require cessation of drug use as a precondition of support, including advocacy for needle and syringe programs to prevent the spread of HIV, and medically supervised injection facilities to reduce overdose deaths. Why We Need Drug Policy Reform EXPLAINER Eliminating Legal Barriers to Health Our efforts to ensure access to health care for all includes funding the training of paralegals who help excluded communities and individuals to negotiate bureaucratic barriers to care—helping Roma families in the Western Balkans, for example, to obtain the identity documentation they need to obtain treatment at local hospitals. A health mediator visits with two members of the local Roma community in Sofia, Bulgaria on September 28, 2016. © Boryana Katsarova for the Open Society Foundations What Is the Global Gag Rule? EXPLAINER READ MORE EXPLAINER Why the World Needs a People’s Vaccine The creation of effective vaccines has been essential to saving lives, but true success in the fight against COVID-19 will not be won unless doses are affordable and accessible to all, everywhere around the world. MAY 2021 PUBLICATION Working Together to Address Health Workforce Mobility in Europe In Europe, the migration of health workers from east to west has had significant impacts—including the loss of skilled health professionals. This policy brief offers six key insights concerning policies that are needed across the EU. SEPTEMBER 2020 SHIFTING THE NARRATIVE Our Pandemic Response Must Center Racial Justice Rather than shift the blame onto individuals who are forced to make impossible choices, policymakers should confront the virus through systemic reforms that center racial justice and public health. DECEMBER 8, 2020 | BISOLA FALOLA & BRETT DAVIDSON Read more from this theme: Health and Rights Subscribe to updates about Open Society’s work around the world By entering your email address and clicking “Submit,” you agree to receive updates from the Open Society Foundations about our work. To learn more about how we use and protect your personal data, please view our privacy policy. VOICES Read the latest from our staff, grantees, and partners about how we’re working around the world to build vibrant and inclusive democracies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people. Learn more HOW WE FUND Every year the Open Society Foundations give thousands of grants to groups and individuals that work on the issues we focus on—promoting tolerance, transparency, and open debate. Learn more WHO WE ARE Our History George Soros Leadership Financials Policies Programs Offices and Foundations HOW WE WORK How We Fund Grants, Scholarships, and Fellowships Awarded Grants WHAT WE DO Where We Work Themes Events Newsroom Publications Employment Contact Us © 2021 Open Society Foundations, some rights reserved. Terms and Conditions Privacy Accessibility We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience of our website, to collect anonymous statistics, and to keep our site reliable and secure. 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