By Katie Chandler | Grant Manager
Recently two community health promoters, Enna and Roxana, from the rural Bolivian village El Fortín accomplished what was previously unfathomable for them. These two courageous women advocated fiercely to local municipal officials for the need to prioritize their community’s health in government plans. The process was long and difficult, and it consisted of many meetings with different representatives from the municipality. But their perseverance paid off when the government approved the promoters’ petition to repair their community’s health center. Within a week a construction crew was at the health clinic changing the locks on the doors, fixing the entrance and drainage canals, changing the light bulbs, and installing new windows and equipment. The promoters’ request also secured regular weekly visits from a doctor to their health center.
On June 11th the first medical teams started to work at the clinic. Every Tuesday since then the same doctor has come to work alongside the health promoters to attend to patients. The promoters’ efforts have completely transformed community health in El Fortin!!!
Etta Projects’ health program does much more than merely provide rural areas with access to medical supplies and equipment. It goes beyond teaching local women how to prevent and treat common illnesses. Etta Projects’ health program also gives health promoters the expertise to diagnose the most pressing health concerns in their communities and petition to their government for solutions to address these concerns. Health promoters, like Enna and Roxana, learn how to develop sustainable projects that can be transformed in to real action.
Etta Projects recently expanded our health program to a third district in Bolivia! We are proud and humbled to report that we currently offer training to 60 local health promoters from 19 rural villages!!!! Thank you for your continued support to grow this important program! And congratulations to the amazing Enna and Roxana!
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