Last month the WiRED–Armenia team conducted a training in Yerevan, Armenia, for members joining the program and establishing new health centers in their respective communities throughout the country.

November is National Diabetes Month — a time to learn about diabetes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 422 million adults have diabetes, and 1.6 million deaths are directly related to diabetes every year.

What is the first line of defense against almost all infectious diseases? Yes, that’s right — handwashing. Handwashing is key to the prevention of everything from the common cold to Ebola. Handwashing is one of the best ways to remove germs (bacteria, parasites and viruses) to avoid getting sick and to prevent the spread of germs to other people.

Are you ready for flu season? The best way to prevent flu is by getting vaccinated each year. Influenza or flu is a contagious respiratory illness caused by several viruses. Flu resembles the common cold because it infects the same organs (nose, throat, lungs) and has similar symptoms.

In 1997, WiRED International formed around the idea of improving the health of people living in the world’s most underserved communities. To enable us to pursue that ambitious goal, we embraced emerging technologies that would make it possible for us to teach people about good health.

WiRED is nearing completion of an extensive curriculum to train community health workers (CHWs) in low-resource regions around the world. Kisumu is one of four test sites where a group of 15 people will undergo a rigorous training program lasting three weeks. During a recent trip, WiRED’s team made provisions for the test.