Testimony of a Health Promoter
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Authors
David Vasquez
Issue Date
2012-11
Type
Language
en
Keywords
Water and Sanitation
Alternative Title
Abstract
Testimony of a health promoter and now Deputy Mayor: My name is David Vásquez Pérez. I have been employed as a nursing technician in the health post of Sacuyo in the Acora district of Puno since 2002. This community, situated at 3,890 metres above sea level, is comprised of 721 farming families. Sacuyo is located 49 km from the city of Puno. The maternal mortality rate in this community is high, as is the frequency of acute respiratory diseases and acute diarrheic diseases. Having observed the deficient basic services provided to schools and families and, consequently, the pollution of the environment in homes and schools, I decided to search for information on the Internet. That is how I came across Practical Action in 2010. I wrote them an e-mail requesting information and they replied. The information provided by Practical Action was useful for raising public awareness. At all times I informed people that I had obtained the material from Practical Action. The primers I used were on solid waste and water. I check the website every three months. These primers were very useful for improving my knowledge of these issues and my skills. They are very significant, visual and educational. On the Internet I found information on these subjects from other institutions, but it was not very educational and not appropriate for our circumstances, whereas the information from Practical Action is suitable. Our town now has a landfill, piped water facilities and better hand-washing practices. People have also started separating organic and inorganic solid waste. The Municipality of Acora has set up a Cleanliness Corner, all based on information from Practical Action. As a health worker, had I not discovered the Practical Action information, perhaps I would have requested information from other institutions that may not have responded and this town would still be backward. This information was very timely, allowing us to save the population by encouraging them to change their living conditions. In view of everything I have done for this community, I was elected Deputy Mayor and now my interests lie beyond health issues, including educational aspects and livestock (cattle management, cheese-making, etc.), in order to improve the economic sustainability of the community. I would also like to know how to set up a safe water supply system, because people currently obtain their water supply from underground sources.