Community Health Worker Program

Dear GlobalGiving Friends and Supporters,

As mentioned in our last report, we have continued to expand our workshops in the Community Health Worker program over the last few months, with the goal of addressing the high rates of anaemia, hypertension, and diabetes in the community. In June and July, we held workshops in Lobitos aimed primarily at local mothers to try and boost family and household health outcomes. This workshop combined educational sessions and hands-on practice, such as demonstrating healthy cooking techniques, and measuring blood pressure and haemoglobin. During these workshops, 29 individuals had their haemoglobin levels measured for the first time, while 23 returning participants attended follow-up haemoglobin checks.

 We aim in particular to reduce the severity of co-morbidities that may result from poor health outcomes, such as Covid, and especially dengue, which is very prevalent locally. To help combat this, volunteer interns from our research program have been conducting interviews with officials from the local health departments to better understand the spread of dengue in the community, and we endeavour to use these results to further combat the spread of this disease in the future.

Furthermore, our longstanding partnership with Lucky Iron Life has strengthened these past few months, with continuing donations of the Lucky Iron Fish product, a fish-shaped cast iron ingot that can be boiled with liquids during cooking to provide dietary iron supplementation and fight iron-deficiency anaemia. Last month, we distributed 19 such products, with 18 of these going to new families joining our program, which now brings the total number of participants to 48. 

In addition, we are pleased to announce that we were able to donate a wide variety of medical products and equipment to the local Lobitos Medical Post last month, such as blood pressure monitors, urine sample bottles, and minor surgical kits. And as always, our volunteer interns on our Public Health program continue to treat patients at the local Lobitos Medical Post. 41 patients were treated from July to September, and we are proud to be able to make a real difference to health outcomes in this tight-knit community.

Your ongoing support makes all of this possible. Thank you for helping us make a meaningful and measurable impact in our community.

With gratitude,

Alejandro Pizarro