In the rural areas surrounding Cusco, 54% of children under 5 suffer from anemia. This project trains Community Health Workers to address the underlying issues that cause anemia and other health conditions in 13 often-neglected villages near the tourist hotspots of the Peruvian Andes. Our goal is to expand access to care and provide culturally appropriate education to improve poor health outcomes.
Quechua-speaking populations in High Andean region of Peru face geographic and cultural isolation and unreliable transportation options, making it impossible for them to access quality and timely healthcare. Sacred Valley Health (SVH) promotes health in 13 rural villages through its Community Health Worker Program, which trains lay health workers to provide basic services, preventive health education, and connect neighbors with local health systems.
This year, SVH will train Community Health Workers to prevent pneumonia, diarrhea, anemia, and malnutrition using a train-the-trainer model. Health workers give community-wide educational presentations on these topics and conduct targeted house visits to identify and monitor individuals that are at risk for becoming ill with these conditions. An educational approach ensures sustainability in that health knowledge lives in the community, propagated by local people.
Your donation to this project will improve health outcomes in 13 rural communities served by our Community Health Worker Program. By focusing on preventing pneumonia, diarrhea, and critical risk factors like anemia and malnutrition, Community Health Workers are striving to eliminate preventable and deadly conditions from their home communities. A healthy population will be better able to engage in productive economic activity and develop the capacities to lead a dignified human life.
