Empower 15 women as leaders, Improve health of 600

On November 23, 2022 Project Hearts had the honor of graduating the 9^th cohort of Community Health Leaders! The group includes a young woman, Henyeli, who is now the third CHL in her family (preceded by her mom and grandmother), as well as our very first male graduate, Jeremi!

During the graduation lunch some of the students shared personal struggles they’ve faced throughout their lives, which is always heartbreaking. But they also shared how they’re working to overcome their challenges, and how the CHL course has given them knowledge and skills to continue improving their lives, as well as the lives of their families and neighbors.  

We’re very proud of the group of 11, and, even better, they are proud of themselves! They join past graduates to form a community of 80 empowered women (and man!) who have supported more than 800 Baitoan homes with leadership and health care.

Our hope is that within 2 years we will have graduated 100 Community Health Leaders, and we would appreciate your continued generosity to help us achieve that goal!

The municipality of Baitoa has developed a lot since the Community Health Leadership program first launched in 2013. Back then it was much more difficult for people to obtain health information, largely due to the challenges of traversing dirt/mud roads and few people having easy access to technologies like smart phones and internet. Additionally, at that time Baitoa still didn’t have its own hospital – prior to construction in 2015 there were only a few small health centers serving their surrounding neighborhoods, but leaving the majority of Baitoans without easy access to healthcare services.

Now, nearly ten years later, residents can travel more easily, have an accessible hospital, and most households have WiFi and multiple devices they could use to research health issues when necessary.

Sometimes these changes make me wonder if residents still need the basic health education we’re offering through the CHL program, or if they’ve already acquired the essential knowledge we’re sharing.

Well, a couple weeks ago I got an answer to my doubts.

On June 1 we initiated our 9^th cohort of Community Health Leaders. We have a committed group of 10 women and 1 young man who are learning about new health topics each week. This is an especially active group – everyone is participating, sharing personal experiences, asking questions, and they are always laughing! You’d think this group had been friends for years, but they only just met each other 3 months ago.

Hearing their reactions to each lesson has shown me that we at Project Hearts are still offering a valuable and important opportunity to community members by providing health education.

One student, Yulissa, said she never knew animals could spread parasites to humans. She explained that in the area where she lives a lot of dogs wander loose and defecate wherever they want, including near where Yulissa’s children often play barefoot. She now knows the possible risks, and will be able to prevent serious illness among her family and neighbors.

Rosa, another current student, said there’s so much that she didn’t know prior to the class. She had no idea how important it is to properly wash hands and fruits & veggies, nor did she know that different antibiotics have different uses and that for that reason she shouldn’t self-prescribe medicine. Rosa even said she suspects that may be why her body has been slow to heal at times. After the recent lesson on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), Rosa also went home and immediately shared what she had learned with her 15- and 20-year-old children. An added, unintended bonus of the CHL course is that it’s helping Rosa’s husband learn to read – when she brings home her printed copy of the lessons, he dedicates himself to studying each one.

Another student, Dairany, has had to miss the last two class meetings, but she is desperate to visit with Juana (the instructor) and review all the information in detail.

Jeremy, our only male student, was shocked learning about STIs and how much damage they can do to men, as well as women. Here in Baitoa, culturally, it is often assumed that the potential consequences of unprotected sex only affect women. But now Jeremy knows that men can also face risks when not using condoms during sex, and he can begin to inform other men and hopefully help to correct widespread false assumptions.

The CHL course is still very relevant, and the information being taught is helping to prevent problems before they become serious health complications.

We so grateful to all of you for allowing us to continue this important educational program!