The International Self-Care Foundation (ISF) is a registered UK Charity with a global focus. ISF is funded by donations and grants and operates as a not-for-profit entity independent of all commercial interests. Our official Charity registration number is 1158114.

Click here for the objectives of the Foundation

An independent sister organisation, ISF Hong Kong, was established in 2013 and is a Hong Kong registered Charity. The focus of ISF Hong Kong is the Greater China area.

Self-care needs to be an integral part of people’s lives, and integrated into families, communities, organisations and society. But with many different elements involved, and being substantially outside the remit of current health and social systems, self-care has in the past lacked a champion.

The International Self-Care Foundation has therefore been formed to champion self-care around the world. In practical terms this involves helping to develop evidence-based self-care concepts and practices, and helping to promote the role of self-care in health.

ISF’s Vision

is of a world in which people live long healthy lives, taking personal responsibility for their own wellness by adopting healthy lifestyle and self-care behaviours.

ISF’s Mission

is to work with all stakeholders in health, to support countries, communities and individuals in the adoption of evidence-based self-care practices.

ISF’s core strategy

Self-care needs to be an integral part of people’s lives, and integrated into families, communities, organisations and society. To achieve this, self-care concepts and practices need to be developed in an evidence-based and systems-based (holistic) way.

ISF’s core strategy is to help to develop evidence-based self-care concepts and practices, and to help to promote the role of self-care in health.

The President of the International Self-Care Foundation is David Skinner. David is a biochemist with over 34 years leading a major Canadian self-care organization (now the Food, Health and Consumer Products of Canada) and was a Director of the Global Self-care Federation (GSCF), an international trade association based near Geneva Switzerland, from 1983 – 2013.

The Chairman of the International Self-Care Foundation is Zhenyu Guo Ph.D. Zhenyu was a tenured professor of medical electronics in Canada before returning to China and establishing himself as a leading Chinese entrepreneur.

Neither of us benefits financially from the ISF – we support it because we believe in the importance of developing self-care.

Click here to see a message from the President and Chairman (>section 2.4)

An unpaid Board of Trustees provides advice on the work and direction of ISF.