Eight months in site have come and gone, and I’ve recently
realized that I have yet to write anything about the work that I’m doing.
I have two primary
projects: working with moms, and working with teens.
Moms:
I work with moms who have
children under 3 years old and pregnant women in two different districts:
Tantará, where I live, and Huamatambo, which is about a 2 hour walk. The goal is to educate them on
nutrition, early childhood stimulation, and prevention of diseases, while
promoting healthy habits within the household. The way to achieve this is through house visits, house
visits, and more house visits.
 |
| A nutrition session in Huamatambo |
First, with my Health Center, we elected and trained Health
Promoters so that they can also visit moms to reinforce healthy practices.
 |
| My Health Promoters |
I have just finished visiting houses with my Health Promoters to do a
baseline survey. This month, we’ll
start teaching on an individual basis how they can have healthier, happier
kids.
 |
| Demonstrating proper hand-washing |
Teens:
I have a group of 8 teens
(between 12 and 16 years old) doing a program called Pasos Adelante (Steps Forward). Pasos focuses on
sexual and reproductive health, but also covers self-esteem, values, future
plans, etc. With the obstetrician
in my Health Center, we meet about two times a month after school and talk
about different themes. The plan
is that next year, they will act as leaders in their community and go into
classrooms to teach their peers.
 |
| Playing games |
In addition to all that, I also find plenty of time to relax. Here are some photos of other things that have been happening:
Denis' visit:
 |
| Ollantaytambo |
 |
| Machu Picchu |
 |
| Salineras |
Town parade for Fiestas Patrias (Peruvian Independence Day)
A trip over the mountains:
 |
| We found snow! |
 |
| Obligatory landscape shot |
