Updates

Youth Health Advocate Classes Come to a Conclusion

On December 7th, 2009, 14 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 received certificates of completion recognizing them as Youth Health Advocates by MEJOR Communities, MIRHAS-Peru, and MINSA, the Health Ministry of Peru. The students showed a 18.7% increase in exam scores surveying their knowledge of basic health, environmental concepts, and leadership. The youth have already held a community meeting to present the outcomes of the classes, conduct a community analysis, and determine the needs and priorities of their village. After a vote, the community decided to put trash management at the top of their list. The youth have thus presented a basic project plan to address this issue, which will be completed by the youth and facilitated by two new volunteers beginning June, 2010. The youth have already begun planning with their local government, santition authorities, and transportation contacts.

Between the months of June and December of 2009, our first volunteers, Valerie, Curtis, and his girlfriend Carly, worked with youth in San Francisco, emphasizing health education and inspiring self-empowerment. Fourteen Youth Health Promoters signed up and completed classes to learn about a wide range of health and education issues, enabling them to spread knowledge throughout their community.

Twice a week, volunteers met with the youth for a two hour class related to a specific aspect of overall health. Our volunteers discovered that, while initial knowledge on these matters was quite low, the students were very eager to learn and did so considerably well with concrete examples that pertained to their daily lives. In order to explain proper nutrition, the volunteers held up drawings of food and arranged them into balanced meals, creating a colorful visual for the youth. A few days later, during a lesson in first aid, a staff member formed a fake wound on her hand and demonstrated necessary first aid techniques assisted by active class participation.

At the end of six months, the community in San Francisco was faced with a choice of how to better their health and living conditions. The community felt that the existing state of trash disposal has led to many problems within their village. Trash is thrown in the streets, backyards, and in the creek in the center of town, which contaminates land and water supplies. Pigs, cows, chickens, and dogs are then eating the trash. This sort of contamination leads to a lot of the health problems prevalent in San Francisco. The community members, therefore, voted on a new trash disposal system that will include new trash cans and a weekly pick-up. MEJOR volunteers will also educate the community in how to utilize composting areas and better dispose of organic waste.

In the upcoming year, San Francisco will enter into this valuable project facilitated by the Youth Health Promoters and strengthened by their acquired knowledge. Based on tests administered before and after the classes with our volunteers, the students showed an 18.7% average increase in their scores. Curtis remembers, "Every single parent reported that they had been speaking to their kids regularly about classes. As a result each household was now washing their hands regularly, many reported drinking more water (much of which was now boiled), mothers were now striving to provide their children more balanced meals, and each parent reported proudly that their child had become more confident in the community."

For a more detailed report about the first phase of our project, see our Comprehensive Report.