A week ago, I received a text from this young woman. In her message, she was confiding about why she had to make a painful decision not to accept her new job, which she desperately needed. After completing her interviews, she received what she thought was good news until she showed up to work the next day.

My word for 2022 and why I chose it.

Remember how thrilled you were to bring your new baby home to a colorful, themed room, chock full of all the things a new mother and her baby would need: a sturdy crib, a rocking chair, plenty of diapers and lotions, a changing table, soft blankets, plush toys, drawers full of adorable clothes, and more. You wanted your newborn to feel as safe, comfortable and loved as possible.

She was 13 when she found herself expelled from school. Why? Because she didn’t have the necessary school supplies. Her family was ultra-poor so there was no way they could afford such luxuries as a notebook, pen, pencil and chalk. Most days, her family had little, if anything, to eat.

In many countries, people are denied health care or receive poor quality health care because of unaffordable fees. Stigma and discrimination deny poor and vulnerable people, especially women, their right to health.