Using seedlings, locals in Kalimantan, Indonesia, replant a degraded rainforest with help from the U.S.-based nonprofit Health in Harmony. Photo below: Lauren Tobias
It's a very simple concept: In Kalimantan, Indonesia, there is a medical clinic that provides locals discounted healthcare if they help preserve the rainforest. And it's working. Health in Harmony is a U.S.-based nonprofit group that partnered with Indonesia-based nonprofit Alam Sehat Lestari (ASRI) to launch the project. So far, the project has made possible 20,000 patient visits since its clinic opened in 2007. The patients who cannot afford the discounted services have the opportunity to reimburse the clinic by raising crops on an organic farm or planting seedlings to regenerate Indonesia's depleted rainforests. Services include everything from regular checkups, to dental care, to more involved healthcare like treatment for tuberculosis and cancer. Simply put: Health in Harmony is solving local and global problems at the same time.
