Community Health Clubs

Writing their song

Algodon CHC

One of the pictures today - how to prepare food properly

Member card, with upcoming lessons

It has been over a week now since I returned from the Dominican Republic. Much to my shock I returned to 90 degree weather and azul blue skies! I made the decision before I left to take the week off after I got home, which was really great and restful. I made a conscious effort to turn off my work brain and not respond to emails, and that was glorious! Now how to break down a trip like what I just went on? Most of the time people ask how was your trip and you watch as their eyes glaze over with bored disinterest as soon as you say more than a few sentences…and for the most part that is a relief for me as it is very hard to really convey how such  an experience was to someone who was not there! BUT this trip was truly great - the highlight of these tasks was being present with five of our Community Health Clubs (CHCs), which as the driving force behind our Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) initiative. These clubs are knocking it out of the park, to use an Americanism. The groups are learning, and changing habits and volunteering in their community. Ortenencia, of Los Robles CHC said “I am very grateful because I have learned a lot about hygiene, thank you”, Many said they have learned about how diarrhea and fungal infections are transmitted, why and how to wash their hands, when to cover food, how to treat dehydration, germ theory and cholera infection and transmission. Another member of Los Robles CHC said “ We no longer have diarrhea” In Algodon, a member said “We no longer get fungal skin infections”. WOW…The power of local administered interactive teaching is profound. We also visited Altagracia club, where members are learning about the “Five Ways to Contract Diarrhea” (Fingers, Food, Flies, Fluids, and Feces), the learning is interactive with pictures, class recaps, and even a group song about the five F’s…this was a highlight as this group of teenagers gathered around and in 20 mins wrote a song complete with tune and genuine rhythm. (Something that would be impossible in Ireland!)

 Not only are all the clubs learning, and changing their hygiene and health but they are also having a great time doing it. Part of the goal of this program is that the clubs will take ownership over not only the issues but also of the clubs themselves – and they have. Altagracia club has instituted its own way to ensure club attendance – they send out 5 “Mayors” who round up the people each week for club. These five people are all appointed by the club members and all of them are proud of their leadership roles. This was not an idea that we created, but they took the initiative themselves, because they value their CHC.

Dr Charinson, adding emphasis

The CHC's are doing phenomenally well, going beyond where I had imagined they would be. Each club boasts at least 30 members, with ages ranging from 13 to over 50 years old.  That means the CHC's have impacted over 150 people, when I asked one of the Facilitators if she was also teaching her family about what she is learning and she simply replied "Claro!"  - meaning Of Course!..

As we sat under the shade of a veranda listening to Los Robles and Algodon tell us funny stories of how one member was brushing her teeth in the dark when she realized she was using her hair brush instead of her tooth brush, we realized that these two formerly adversarial communities are bonding, learning and enjoying each other with no special effort from us to make them do so. They have just organically done so.  What a fantastic development, and unexpected blessing!

Thank you for being a part of this and for helping this program impact these people in simple but profound ways!  It was so encouraging to know that this program that you have helped finance is doing so great, and that it is even doing better than we had hoped!

Gracias!