IMPACT is an international initiative which focusses on preventive

Preventive medicine

Preventive medicine or preventive care refers to measures taken to prevent diseases, rather than curing them or treating their symptoms...

 and social

Public health

Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...

 health and promote awareness and intervention to prevent avoidable disability. Founded in 1980s by Sir John Wilson, IMPACT was formed as a part of the UNs Decade of disabled people. The UK IMPACT Foundation (UKIF), which is the central organisation to its sister projects over the world, was formally registered as a charity in 1985. The organisations international programme was formally set up by the United Nations General Assembly

United Nations General Assembly

For two articles dealing with membership in the General Assembly, see:* General Assembly members* General Assembly observersThe United Nations General Assembly is one of the five principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation...

 supported by the British government. Although it doesn't receive any financial assistances from these organisations, it is jointly promoted by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and the UNDP. IMPACT currently has projects focussing on disability prevention, social health, nutritional health, child health as well as disaster relief in some of the least developed nations in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...

 and Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, including countries like Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

, East Africa

East Africa

East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...

. Notable projects implemented by IMPACT include the Lifeline Express

Lifeline Express

The Lifeline Express or Jeevan Rekha Express is a mobile hospital train run by the Impact India Foundation. It was developed in collaboration with the Indian Railways and Health Ministry and has been funded by Impact UK, international charitable sources, Indian corporate houses and individuals...

 in India, Jibon tori in Bangladesh etc.