Online Social Entrepreneurship: A Breath of Life - Essay Example

The paper "Online Social Entrepreneurship: A Breath of Life" is a great example of an essay on business. A Breath of Life is a children’s charity that began its operations in 1996. It began as a naturopathic clinic that provided complementary and alternative therapies for sick children and those with brain injuries (A Breath of Life, 2008). This essay will discuss the background of the Breath of Life charity, explaining what treatments they offer, the nature of the charity, what the charity does and problems and challenges experienced by the charity.

The Breath of Life charity began because of the need to develop a hyperbaric oxygen treatment center that would be efficient and reliable in serving the needs of its patients. The motivation behind starting the charity was based on the fact that such a treatment center was urgently needed. This was because of the realization that oxygen could be used as a primary healer due to its capability of stimulating the body into a ‘self-healing mode’ (A Breath of Life, 2008).

The charity was founded by Jane Dean, a lady with over 40 years of experience in the health care sector. She was motivated by her passion to care for brain-injured and sick children and adults. Currently, the charity is governed by five trustees comprising of a chairman, a manager, and three other heads. The center opens five days a week and is run by my five dedicated and willing volunteers (A Breath of Life, 2008).

The main treatment offered by the Breath of Live charity is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). This treatment entails increasing the concentration of oxygen so that it reaches the same level as the one we breathe normally in the air. The HBOT uses a hyperbaric chamber to allow an increase in pressure around the body. Humans survive on the pressure of the atmosphere but, this treatment requires extra pressure to help patients survive. The treatment entails administering high doses of oxygen to patients to make up for the deficiency of oxygen in the patient’s blood and body tissues of the patients. Patients are made to breathe oxygen in a special chamber for an hour a day. This is done at 1.5 to 2.5 times the normal atmospheric pressure. The charity has recorded numerous success stories regarding the treatment of patients using HBOT. According to information on the organization’s website, a lot of patients have given stories of how they were successfully treated using the HBOT (A Breath of Life, 2008).

The greatest challenge faced by the Breath of Life charity is the lack of financial resources. The hyperbaric chamber, which is the main form of treatment used in administering HBOT, is quite expensive to acquire. The charity receives a lot of patients in need of oxygen therapy and is committed to attending to all of them. However, it has a limited number of hyperbaric chambers to cater for all patients at the same time. This is one of the greatest problems the charity experiences. A lot of donors and well-wishers support the charity through sponsorships and donations to help it deal with the challenges and problems it faces. Other stakeholders are also involved in fundraising ventures aimed at helping the organization deal with the problem of inadequate funds. These ventures include marathons such as the New York Marathon whereby well-wishers participate in the events so as to raise funds for the Breath of Life charity. Others include the famous television show, Sex, and the City and an event called Bollywood nights, which supports the charity (A Breath of Life, 2008).

 Conclusion

The Breath of Life charity is dedicated and committed to providing affordable HBOT for all. The organization offers access and information concerning HBOT and the hyperbaric chamber which is specifically designed to treat chronic health conditions. This essay has discussed the background of the Breath of Life charity, explained the treatment offered, the nature of the charity, what it does and the problems, and challenges it experiences.