Student Advocates for Healthy Living in Underserved Demographics
A student service venture
Located high in the sierras of the Andes, close to the city
of Otavalo, Esperanza de Azama is a community of 250 people with which S.A.H.L.U.D. has
established a strong relationship. We began providing health services and
public health education here in 2008, and since then we have received great feedback
from the community, and have modeled much of what we do in other clinics and
workshops after our work in Azama. Aside from the distribution of vitamins and anti-parasitics, students also gave lectures to the burgeoning teen population
on the physiological effects of drug and alcohol, as well as the risks associated unprotected sexual activity. Furthermore, we assisted Azama in furnishing their volunteer housing
by donating three complete sets of bunk beds.
Esperanza de Azama has shown great initiative to improve
their community. Margot Cifuentes, the community director and the main contact
for this community has put into effect a sponsorship program in which
interested benefactors can help the children of this community continue their
education beyond grade six. The cost of sending a child to school for one year is only $150 U.S. For more
information on the sponsorship program please visit http://www.caritasdeesperanza.org/caritas/
or contact any of the S.A.H.L.U.D. directors.
