By Juana Rodriguez | Community Health Leadership Program Coordinator
Last week I had the opportunity to visit & encourage some of our past and present leaders. While in the community of San Jose Adentro, I had a chat with Iris, who graduated as a Community Health Leader with the 2019 cohort. Iris was so happy to see me, and conveyed her deep gratitude for the CHL course & its profound impact on her life. Not only did the class help Iris overcome her fear of expressing herself in front of others, but the lesson on mental health taught Iris how to manage her depression. As a result, Iris now has a better relationship with her husband and children, and is confident in her role as a leader in her community. Iris is regularly visiting one neighbor to monitor her blood pressure and sugar levels, and is happy to assistant whenever someone needs her.
Stories like this may seem small and unimportant, but they signify a slow shifting in the culture that exists here. Women are typically expected to cook and clean and nothing more, and little effort is put into maintaining or improving relationships – whether with a spouse, children, neighbors, or even oneself.
The CHL course teaches women that they play an important role in bettering their communities, families, and themselves. We are empowering women throughout Baitoa to lead the way to a healthier culture.
You have helped create these small, yet life-changing opportunities for women in Baitoa, and we can’t thank you enough!
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
