Empower 15 women as leaders, Improve health of 600

Once again I find myself feeling so proud of our staff and students for creating an environment prime for not only academic learning, but also personal realization and expression. In an area where women often feel isolated, I find it so beautiful when a group of strangers can come together and find emotional support & encouragement that they don’t usually have. I know you’ve already read some of the wonderful stories that have come from this group of ladies, but there were a few others that I’ve heard and wanted to share.

• We often visit communities and leaders in order to get information and stay connected, and during these visits we are often offered lunch (which sadly we usually have to decline). On one such visit Juana, the CHL Coordinator and Training Assistant, was chatting with one of our current students, Milagros, and as usual was invited to stay for lunch. Milagros proudly assured Juana that since the class on nutrition she is cooking differently, so that her food has less grease and is healthy. It might seem like a simple thing, but we’re always SO excited when our students apply what they learn to their daily habits. Milagros is truly transforming herself into a leader, and we’re hopeful that her neighbors will be following her example.

• Miguelina, who we introduced you to in our first report, doesn’t know how to read or write very well, but she wasn’t going to let that stop her from empowering herself, so we didn’t either. In order to give Miguelina a fair chance at passing the final test (which is pretty challenging, even for those who are literate), we turned it into an oral exam for her. Manuela, our WASH Program Coordinator and a graduate of the CHL course, read each question to Miguelina and transcribed her responses. In the end, Miguelina earned an 86/100, demonstrating her clear understanding of the topics covered throughout the course.

• Towards the beginning of the course one of the women initially registered had to withdraw due to medical issues her son was facing. But she had encouraged one of her friends to attend the class. This friend is Rosa, and she decided to stick with the course. Rosa is an inspiration to me because of the investment she made in order to participate. She actually doesn’t live in Baitoa – she lives in the neighboring municipality of La Vega, about 45 minutes away from our office. In order to get here, she had to take a motor-taxi and a bus (guagua). We cover students’ transportation costs up to 200 pesos per class, but Rosa had to spend 400 pesos each week. Yet she attended consistently, never missing class and was always on time. This dedication alone is an indicator of how valuable the CHL course is. Rosa was so inspired by what she was learning that she was spending time at her local public health clinic in order to gain more practice in giving shots and taking blood pressure, and since completing the course has even registered to start studying nursing!

We're so grateful to all of you who created the initial foundation for these stories - truly without y'all none of this would have happened.