Community health programs should encourage the participation of a wide range of community members, and not be based solely on design and implementation from the outside. 

In this portion of the northwest rainforest, a myriad of well-intentioned larger scale community public health initiatives have come and gone over many years.

What generally has lacked has been a long-term approach based on gradually increasing community participation and ownership of the work being accomplished.

Health Education

The Rio Beni Project essentially began when a few river communities expressed their needs during initial community meetings that they had organized.  They wanted regular medical attention – something they had never had before, as well as a community member to represent themselves in the health issues concerning the overall community. 

What resulted was the beginning of a program based upon primary care outreach clinics and health education.  Central to the education part of the work was the training of community health workers, or health promoters, who would receive ongoing training in order to take on gradual responsibilities for the health care in their respective villages.

Health promoters are not trained to be nurses or doctors, although many learn skills that are comparable to more formally trained health professionals.  Instead, promoters are first compassionate community leaders providing a needed service for their fellow community inhabitants.  They provide health education to schools, provide basic primary care, refer patients to the central Foundation clinic and serve as an important liaison between the Foundation team and the community. 

Over the years, 50 promoters have taken part in the health training, and are at various levels in their capacity.  32 promoters are currently active, and fully responsible for their communities.  They receive follow-up training at the clinic and are visited regularly by staff, and receive a small stipend for their work and travel.  The majority of these promoters have also received training in the building and maintaining the bio-sand water filters.

The number of direct beneficiaries of health education and preventive health services is estimated to be over 15,000.

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