International Health Education For Local People

Here are some stories from our Community Health Workers in El Salvador: In partnership with the EU and other agricultural organizations, our El Sunza and Ojo de Agua groups hosted a reforestation project in their community. Madeleine and Monica were able to join the project since they were already in El Salvador. The groups learned how to make natural fertilizers, why reforestation is important, and even planted trees together. The Ojo de Agua group reached out to local nurses to come to their monthly meeting and provide the training. The group met three times to progress in their injection skills: Day 1: learned about different syringes and what each one is used for Day 2: learned where to inject and how to inject - practiced injecting in an orange Day 3: practiced on a person with B12 vitamins - the group invited different community members to join who regularly receive B12 vitamin injections We are so proud to see our CHWs reaching out to other community connections to receive even more health education. Ojo de Agua and El Sunza partnered together for two different community outreach events in September. The Ojo de Agua CHWs focused on bringing BP screenings, while the El Sunza CHWs focused on diabetes screenings. The group also brought in local nurses and optometrists for free visual exams and eye screenings. In all, local community members received screenings, preventive health education, and treatment for their eyes, blood pressure, diabetes, illnesses in children, respiratory illnesses, and GI issues. One group in El Salvador has put on 13 health fairs for their community by themselves since training. 3 of our groups in El Salvador have now trained new Community Health Workers themselves, creating a sustainable, growing impact.

Here are several success stories of the work our Community Health Workers did just this past month in Zimbabwe: Our Health Workers in Zimbabwe visited their local Taxi Rank, just outside a bustling grocery store, to discuss the importance of TB screening. Through their conversations, multiple taxi drivers and community members agreed to be screened and were referred to the hospital. Three referrals came back positive, and they have since started TB treatment. Mary measured 2 kids’ mid-upper arm circumferences and one of them was in red and was referred to the local clinic where the child was diagnosed with malnutrition and started treatment right away. Elizabeth rescued a 28-year-old female who had an asthma attack while applying floor polish at her home. She quickly looked for her inhaler in her room and she took 4 puffs to relieve the air. Soon after 20 minutes, she was fine. She gave her a cup of coffee for relief. She also referred a 63-year-old diabetic woman to the hospital who was feeling dizzy but the temperature was normal at 36.6. She was attended to by the hospital staff and now her sugar levels are normal. Thato measured a 3-year-old kid who was underweight and referred her to the clinic for further treatment. She then checked up on the kid and learned they were diagnosed with malnutrition. The kid is now on treatment. Nothando had one patient who had a BP check-up and their blood pressure was very high: 160/100. Nothando ensured the patient was quickly seen by the doctor and they are now on blood pressure treatment. Salifi performed a blood pressure check on one lady who was not feeling well. Ultimately she took the patient to the hospital where she managed to get treated and got better. Alice screened two male artisanal miners who had signs of TB, like sweating during the night and coughing nonstop. The twin boys aged 27 stay together in a one-roomed house, where they leave early in the morning to go to the mine and return home during the middle of the night. All the windows of the house will be closed, the house not cleaned is a mess, and they will come home to sleep and start their day early the next morning, leaving all the dirt behind. After seeing the way they stay, Alice managed to help them by cleaning their house and arranging their things. She then took them to the hospital where they were further screened for TB, got tested for HIV, and were positive for both tests. Hence they started their treatment on the 2nd of February 2023. Alice gave them health education. Now they open their windows every day for ventilation and she always checks on them twice a week for palliative care. Sithabile helped one female lady by sharing the knowledge on how to heal a painful toothache by applying salt and crushed garlic on the teeth and it worked on the patient she was healed instantly. Kimberly is a student who traveled home for the CHW training. She is unable to attend the monthly meetings in person as she is back on campus but has so many success stories by helping her friends at school with different conditions. She educated her classmates on obesity and eating healthy food and cutting on fizzy drinks. Right now, three of her friends have started working on their diet, jogging every morning before class lessons.