Stories from the field

Women's health is particularly at risk due to the unhealthy environment, long working hours in hazardous conditions, and lack of income to invest in prevention. The most significant risks that affect women's health include maternal mortality and complications surrounding pregnancy and childbirth, sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS, exposure to waterborne diseases, and respiratory problems and burns due to household work. If health microinsurance is to become a valuable option to protect the livelihoods and health of low-income women, its design and delivery has to overcome many challenges.

A large insurance firm and an association of water irrigation users have teamed up to become the first providers of micro-life insurance for millions of small farmers in Peru. The project, which has received support from the ILO´s Microinsurance Innovation Facility and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will allow a third of rural families in Peru to have access to social protection for the first time. ILO reports from Lima.

Work-related accidents and diseases take a grim toll every year. Although prevention can help improve occupational safety and health (OSH), microinsurance can also play a complementary role in coping with workplace risks and provide direct benefits to employers and workers.