10-Year Celebration Of The Association of Community Health Educators 1996 –2006

by Global Ministries | published on Oct 10, 2014

Barb De Souza – Brazil

I am writing this on a very special day, the 19th of Oct. 2006. It was exactly 10 years ago that the first building of our shantytown health clinic was inaugurated and we celebrated the legal registration of our NGO, the Association of Community Health Educators. I remember so well this happy day. Our new clinic was small: a tiny reception area, one consultation room, a kitchen and storage area. We had struggled so to reach this point after the terrible floods of Feb. 1996 that had destroyed so much of this shantytown. We had reformed, painted and repaired this small area so it was with a great feeling of victory, that we invited the population of the community, public health officials and the Director of the Institute of the Study of Religions to which I am called, to celebrate with us.

Barb De Souza – Brazil

We began with 4 volunteer doctors, each for a few hours a week, plus the wonderful students of the Health Educators Course I was giving at the time. I remember the bazaars of clothes and homemade foods that we held to earn money for medicines and other needs to run our health clinic. We called in help for special emergencies and we prayed that the city health dept. would recognize the community’s needs and our health education work. And after three years, the first of June, 1999, our NGO signed its first contract for the newly instituted Family Health Program, prioritizing preventative health care rather than just curative health care. Finally our health educators could earn a salary for their wonderful work!

With the new construction just finished we now have 3 buildings, 8 consultation rooms, one for the performing of Paps smears, 2 rooms for attending infants and small children, with weighing rooms, vaccination room, another for collecting blood and other specimens, a curative room, administration and reception areas, early morning emergency consultations, a pharmacy and stock room, 2 rooms for the health educators to do their paper work as well as one for the nurses assistants. We also have a large room for community gatherings and our health team meetings as well as other educational programs, such as for patients with hypertension and diabetes, new mothers, family planning and others, plus a small kitchen and serving area. Last but not least important, is another large room in the new building for our new program of art and recreation projects for children as well as professional training for teenagers, in hopes that these activities will raise self esteem and avoid adherence to the drug traffic so common in shantytowns causing crime and death. All this is part of the Association’s objectives: to promote the physical, social, psychological aspects of health education as part of an adequate program for the formation of a healthy person ready to assume his or her place in a more just society.

(You can see our new addition yourself by looking at our website www.aecsprojetobrasil.com.br Just click on the American flag and then photos. Be careful when you write the letters of the site that you spell projeto as it is in Portugues and Brasil with an S) You will also see pictures of our beautiful new physical therapy room. We are so proud of this program which unfortunately is NOT supported by the city health dept. We struggle and struggle to maintain this program. For the period of June 06 through June 07, the Mission Committee of the First Congregational Church of River Falls, WI, is supporting it. We are so grateful to them!

When our new contract is finally signed, we will have 3 health teams, 3 doctors, 3 nurses, 6 nurses’ assistants, 18 health educators, a social worker, an administrative assistant, a dentist and 2 dental assistants.

Yes, we have come a long way, but without your support, both financially and spiritually, we would not be able to accomplish all we have in these 10 years. I had hoped to be able to add to this letter today, the news that our 4th renewal contract with the city health dept. had been signed so we could have had a larger celebration on such a significant day. However, as you who have followed us all these years remember, we have been through this painful and frustrating experience every time there has been a renewal of our contract. We suffered months without pay but at least this time, we have received monies to pay salaries until the end of the year. They have not as yet, however, sent money for all of our administrative needs or for the furniture necessary for our new health team or dental equipment.

We have already selected the persons who will make up the 3rd health team (including nurse Kelly. Remember her story?). We know how anxious they are to begin work and how necessary they are for as our clientele has increased; our two teams are much overworked. We had so hoped to have a large inaugural party this weekend to celebrate our new building and our 10 years of existence so I could include this in the newsletter. Hopefully, by the time you receive this, the contract will have been signed and a big celebration held, all to be recorded in our next newsletter.

Isabel, who took over my job some time ago as coordinator of our training course for the community health educators, has put together a booklet of testimonies of some of the teachers and students of this course as to how their lives have changed since they took the course. As you remember, all this began with the creation of this training course and the wonderful women who were my first students in Rio. This book was presented today at our small celebration.

We are so grateful to all of you for your generous and loving participation in all of our work. Our hearts are so full of pride, admiration and love for the health educators whose job is not easy. They receive the lowest salary of the program as designated by the city health dept. but they do their job with such love and dedication. Our family health program is known as the best and most efficient in the city of Rio. Ours is the only Family Health Program that local medical colleges choose to send their students to study. I believe that is because, different than the other family health clinics, ours was formed and created by us, that is, WE did it, WE made it happen. We all feel ownership of the Association and the buildings. WE work together as a real family team! AND YOU ARE INCLUDED IN THS FAMILY TEAM; we are all on this team, all of you and our health teams.

We will take this opportunity to send early wishes for a joyous Christmas and our hopes that the New Year will bring more love and tolerance to the world, so that wars may end and that peace may reign in all God’s creation.

AXÉ-SHALOM-PEACE

Barb and Gus de Souza (Your hands in mission)

Barb de Souza is a volunteer with the Institute of Religious Studies (ISER). She serves as an advisor for popular education and training in the areas of health and sexuality.