Community Health Education, Advocacy, and Empowerment: Promotores de la Salud

Empowering Women, Men, and Families in Impoverished and Under-served Regions to Take Charge of Their Health

Background & Goal

There are extremely high maternal and infant/child mortality and morbidity rates in Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, where families in remote, impoverished villages have no organized health care delivery.

Provide information and basic skills that improve health practices in the community while empowering women, men and families to take charge of their health.

Program Description

Promotores de la Salud (PS) is a health education program developed and implemented by Hope for a Healthier Humanity (HHH) to prevent disease and promote health in poor countries devastated by major disease and illness such as  indigenous regions in Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Panama and Mexico.  It is a course offered 2-3 times annually, with 20-30 participants per session. Participants are taught principles of case finding, teaching, counseling, basic health care, referral and social advocacy. Self-care for the promotores is discussed in an empowerment model that can then be shared with young people, friends and relatives. Topics include maternal and infant care, infectious diseases, acute and chronic physical and mental illness, family relationships and domestic violence. Trainees are provided textbooks, supplies and medications to supplement their work.  Each trainee is given a comprehensive medical and dental examination as a teaching and role modeling tool.  Participants are encouraged to share their experiences, perceptions, beliefs and aspirations about health, family and community issues.

Evidence of Success

• 90% of participants were teaching others in their communities; 100% were using the textbooks, supplies, and medications to more accurately assess and treat a variety of health conditions and illnesses; and 100% were able to treat medical emergencies, infections, accidents, childbirth, and chronic illnesses with greater accuracy.