GlobeMed at UChicago plans to send recovering tuberculosis patients to business seminars, helping them alleviate their extreme poverty by training them to sustain microbusinesses.
Callao, Peru is a district of Lima facing extreme poverty. Its residents receive inadequate nutrition and live in overcrowded, under-ventilated conditions. This makes them highly susceptible to tuberculosis (TB) infection. While treatable, TB is stigmatized and treatment often comes with physical side effects. Few patients are able to work while on medicine, and they struggle to return to their jobs post-treatment. This socioeconomic impact is often the most debilitating aspect of the disease.
GlobeMed at UChicago and ASPAT-Peru plan to provide TB patients in Callao with the training to start their own microbusinesses. We will select 15 patients from a group of 40 interviewees, based on criteria including family size, support system, and treatment adherence. Selected patients will be trained in business management and strategy. They will then receive seed funding to start up these microbusinesses. After start-up, ASPAT will continue to provide trainees with evaluation and support.
The project will provide 15 recovering TB patients and their families with a sustainable opportunity to rise out of poverty, better their lifestyles, and improve their health.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
