© Lam Duc Hien
Environment and health explore how exposure to external factors — biological, chemical, and physical — can influence people’s physical and mental health, as well as their overall well-being, in both positive and negative ways. These exposures are closely linked to other health determinants, such as behavioral, social, psychological, cultural, economic, and political factors.
Environmental factors can deepen existing social, geographic, and gender inequalities. For several years, tackling inequality and injustice in environment and health has been a priority for Médecins du Monde, with a focus on issues related to living environments and working environments/conditions, whether in the formal or informal economy.
Linking environment and health is not obvious for many humanitarian NGOs. Médecins du Made has succeeded in making this issue one of its priorities. Médecins du Monde’s strategy is structured around two main pillars: reducing people’s exposure to hazardous environments in both their workplaces and their living environments.
Since 2018, Médecins du Monde has been working with waste collectors and recyclers in the Kathmandu Valley and in Nepalgunj, aiming to mitigate the impact of their working conditions on their health.
Through its humanitarian programmes in those two regions of Nepal, Médecins du Monde contributes to improving the health, well-being, and livelihoods of people working in the waste sector. More specifically, the organisation seeks to reduce the risks linked to their work and to their exposure to harmful environments, while strengthening their access to information and to quality health services, including occupational health services. Finally, the intervention aims to increase recognition of their contribution to sustainable waste management in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj.
