Project Salvador has been supporting the Nutrition Project
at Plan del Piño parish in Ciudad Delgado on the outskirts of San Salvador
since July 2005. We receive a written report every six months on the status of
the project. In May 2010 I met with Carmelite Sister Maria Cristina and several
of the health promoters to hear from them directly how the project has been
going for the past year.
“I came to the parish with a child who had been orphaned.
I was looking for some help. Sr. Isabel invited me to help out, to participate.
She said they needed a health promoter in my community for the Nutrition
Project.” Rosaelia has been a health promoter in her community for two years now.
“We are serving God. This is what we must do, serve and do God’s work. I spent
so many years closed up in my house, not knowing that one can serve others.”
Two other health promoters, Maria Julia and Marta Lidia,
both originally came to the clinic afraid that their small children were
malnourished; they were, and they got signed up for the program. At the same
time they were recruited by Sr. Isabel to be health promoters in their
communities.
Maria Julia has been at it for 11 years now. “I am happy to
be able to serve the parish and the community. We are here to serve.” She drops
her gaze for a moment as she continues, “Last year I started to have problems
in my community.” Before she even says it, I knew she was referring to gang
members—a problem of catastrophic proportions in El Salvador (see sidebar on
next page). Maria Julia confirms my supposition, and continues on to say, “but
I love this work and I am able to continue to visit my children and my seniors.
I cannot abandon them.”
The health promoters are all volunteers. They give of
their time not only to visit the people in their community, but also to be
trained in a variety of topics that help them to be effective in their work:
basic first aid, personal hygiene, dental care, nutrition, pregnancy and
postnatal health, common illnesses for both adults and children, and natural
medicines and how to use them correctly. They also give talks on these topics
to program participants at the clinic every couple weeks.
Being able to help people be healthy is a huge benefit of
this ministry for Emilia, who has been with the program since it started
thirteen years ago. “In the trainings we learn things that we can use and teach
people to do. Some of the older people complain about cramping and I never knew
how to help them out. Then I learned in a training that hot water packs relieve
cramps. Now I am able to help a lot of people.”
The Nutrition Project continues to address the nutrition
needs of 80 children (mostly ages 0-6) and 140 senior citizens in the 16
communities that make up the parish. Participants are identified by a cadre of
11 health promoters who visit the people in their community keeping watch for
signs of malnutrition. Once a person is signed up for the program they have
access to a weekly Saturday clinic, including medical care and psychological
services. They are also eligible for basic food supplies every other Friday
(including rice, corn, beans and powdered milk or oil or sugar), for a small
fee ($1).
Twice a year, all participants are given a full physical
and their state of malnutrition is re-evaluated. When they reach their target
weight, they “graduate” out of the program! For many, this takes years.
Project Salvador funds this project through our own “Save
the Children”-type sponsorship program. Donors make a monthly pledge of $25,
but rather than sponsoring one child, they sponsor the program. With our current
pledges, we are able to fund 70% of the doctor’s salary ($100) and $150 for
basic food supplies every month. Additional sponsors would make it possible to
expand this support. For more information, contact Patty Lawless by sending her an email by clicking at the following envelope:
