Little Luz had
been a happy, healthy baby until she developed
shallow, hurried breathing. Her mother took her
to see a farmer, Patricio Fuentes, in their village
in El Salvador. What in the world could a farmer
do to help a sick child? A great deal, it turns
out, because Patricio is also the local health
promoter in the village. He had been trained
by CMMB’s Accion por
la Salud Familiar program to detect
the early signs of easily treated childhood
diseases. He knew how many children across
Latin America succumb to upper respiratory
illnesses or diarrhea, conditions which can
be easily addressed if identified early and
treated appropriately. Patricio’s training immediately
alerted him to the potential seriousness of Luz’s
symptoms, which suggested pneumonia, and he directed
the Luz’s mother to take her to the healthcare
clinic run by the Santo Domingo de Guzman parish
in Chiltiupan. There, she was examined by Dr.
Pena Barrazza, who prescribed the proper medications.
The story of little Luz is being replicated over
and over again across Latin America as more local
health promoters are trained in the program.
Catholic Medical
Mission Board is a non-profit, religious, 501 (c) (3) organization
that provides services and deliver aid without regard to creed, race,
sex, or national or political circumstance. Catholic Medical Mission
Board is a non-governmental organization in consultative status with
the Economic and Social Council (ESOSOC) of the United Nations. Gifts are deducibel to the full extent allowable under IRS regulations.
