World Bike for Breath Programs
We are proud to announce that only 14.4% of all donations to World Bike for Breath have gone to administrative costs. The remainder of your contributions support the following programs:
Pulmonary clinic in India
While most (although certainly not all) people in developed countries like the U.S. have access to excellent medical care and medications to treat asthma, adults and children in Third World countries have little hope of adequate access to basic medical care. Even if care is available, it is often unaffordable to all but the very rich. For example, asthma medications which can easily average $300 or more per month in the U.S. are out of reach of most families in countries such as India where monthly incomes sometimes barely reach that amount for a family of six or ten.
In conjunction with International Asthma Services, World Bike for Breath has opened a pulmonary lung function lab and clinic in Barrackpore, India: a suburb of Calcutta. Services in the clinic are free or low cost, based on the patient’s ability to pay.
To read more about the clinic click here.
To view photos of the clinic click here.
To learn more about International Asthma Services click here.
Asthma camp scholarships for children
Life for a child with asthma is often frightening and lonely. Instead of playing with friends, much of their time may be spent visiting doctors’ offices and emergency rooms. Allergies to pets, foods, and trees and pollens may prevent the child from playing at a friend’s house, going to sleepovers, attending social events, or spending time in the outdoors. Asthmatic children often feel different and alienated from their peers, who cannot understand why their playmates must carry inhalers, and wheeze when playing tag.
To provide an environment where children with asthma can play, explore the outdoors and learn to live a healthy life despite their asthma, the American Lung Association operates several asthma camps across the U.S. World Bike for Breath is helping needy children to attend the Camp Sealth Asthma Camp by funding scholarships to their summer session.
To learn more about Camp Sealth’s Asthma Camp or to apply for a scholarship click here.
Worldwide asthma education and awareness
Although as many as one in ten people around the world suffer from asthma, and asthma is the leading cause of disease and doctors’ visits for children in the U.S. and many other developed countries, much of the world continues to be ignorant about one of the most prevalent illnesses of the century. To make matters worse, many bizarre myths and stereotypes exist about asthma. On their world ride the Ebers were greeted with hilarious lectures about the causes of asthma: ranging from the need for an exorcism in order to remove asthma causing demons to preventing attacks by wearing hats and eating only hot foods.
During their 478 days on the road, the Eber family spoke to almost 150 newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations about asthma. These interviews were conducted in ten countries and four continents and included interviews with NPR, Time for Kids and the German magazine Spot On, to name a few examples. Using standard media cost estimates, World Bike for Breath provided at least $1,000,000 of world wide asthma education on a budget of $25,000. How’s that for a good return on your investment?
Research fund
World Bike for Breath currently has a research fund set aside to fund new directions in asthma research. Our board is evaluating several promising programs. We look forward to posting our decision in the next few months.
Interested in making a difference? Donate!
Last Updated: Jan 7, 2005
