According to the World Health Organization:
There are an estimated 476 million indigenous peoples in the world living across 90 countries. They make up less than 5 per cent of the world's population, but account for 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures.
Indigenous peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. Indigenous peoples’ conceptualization of health and well-being is generally broader and more holistic, with health frequently viewed as both an individual and a collective right, strongly determined by community, land and the natural environment. Article 24 of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples recognizes the right of indigenous peoples to their traditional medicines, to maintain their health practices and to access social and health services without discrimination. WHO Reference, 2022
Isa Mundo has worked with many Indigenous groups and organizations around the world and in Canada supporting learning centres in Peru, orphanages in Guatemala, health services in the Philippines and First Nations communities in British Columbia. We will continue to provide support via our education initiatives and work with local Indigenous organizations to ensure children and youth attain basic primary education and access to a safe and healthy learning environment.
To learn more and contribute to this day, visit the United Nations website on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2022.
