It Takes a Village to Raise a Village
Our next workday takes us to a Batey called Monte Coco.
We file off the bus, enter the one-room school building and
begin our routine of setting up the clinic. As before, the patients wait, well,
patiently.
A week ago, this was daunting. Today the team members perform
their respective jobs with a kind of synergy that’s been building during our
stay.
As the morning passes, the team notes that children in this
batey appear to have fewer health problems overall than those from other
villages we have visited. Pediatrician Deb Voulalas, M.D., smiles: "I'm seeing lots of healthy, chunky babies today."
Certainly, the attention of the joint Dominican/CHOP team has an
impact, as does the ongoing work of local providers and CHOP fellow Lara Antkowiak, M.D. But the health of this community also rests on a strong network of
support from within. Monte Coco has a skilled and highly motivated Healthcare Promoter
named Patria. [see Friday’s blog, “Ripple Effect, ” for more on Healthcare Promoters.]
Her constant reinforcement of the basic principles of good health and nutrition
is paying dividends for this community
Patria’s brother, Roberto, is also a force for grassroots
change in this batey. Over the 40 years he’s lived here,
Roberto has helped residents to form, among other things, a successful youth
group and an HIV program. He knows everyone, looks out for all – including the batey’s
oldest resident, a 105-year-old man.
It is critical that a program like CHOP Global Health help effect
change that is sustainable - that through partnerships with local resources and
providers, communities amass the tools to further their own well-being. When a
batey is gifted with leaders like Patria and Roberto, that process becomes much
more certain.
Of course, there is still much to do. A stroll along Monte
Coco’s main dirt street reveals some of the most stunningly dilapidated housing
we’ve seen yet. Clean water remains elusive.
But one senses the positive momentum here, and is buoyed by it.
Posted at 02:56PM Nov 11, 2009
by Linda Lightner in Health |
Posted by Barbara Picard on November 12, 2009 at 01:25 AM EST #
Posted by Health and Wellness on November 10, 2010 at 01:44 AM EST #
Posted by James Morgan - Puritan Financial Advisor on November 12, 2010 at 09:10 PM EST #
Posted by healthrealtime on November 21, 2010 at 05:22 PM EST #
Posted by Weight Loss Motivation on November 25, 2010 at 05:01 PM EST #