A Day's Life. . .

One of the things that struck me most during my four-month trip to El Salvador was the strong sense of community and mutual support. The health promoters often helped each other. I found that those who were done with their work would offer to help others finish their jobs. This happened in the clinic as well as in the community work (making house calls, for example) and strengthened the sense of solidarity.

“One of the things that struck me most during my four-month trip to El Salvador was the strong sense of community and mutual support. . . This characteristic of being so interactive was a helpful lesson for me, coming from the land of over-independence.”

This didn't happen just within the group of promoters. Throughout the community one felt a sense of strong interaction. People were often talking together: women prepared meals together, washed clothes together, took care of their children together. This characteristic of being so interactive was a helpful lesson for me, coming from the land of over-independence, where from a very early age we hear about the importance of 'individual rights' and 'independence,' and are encouraged to break free from 'confining norms.' Seeing people helping each other was a good lesson, especially since their daily conditions are so challenging. It was a reminder that while we live in different contexts around the world, with varying ranges of possibilities, ultimately we have people around us. And how nice it is to be able to lean on our neighbors for the various trials that confront us.

I was very inspired by the efforts on the part of the health promoters to learn more and to contribute to the well-being of their community. While just about all the promoters had families to take care of, with multiple children (some are single mothers), they found time to invest in the organization. While they are now paid, they were volunteers for many years. Their work requires a lot of commitment and time, including preparation, lectures, training, walking all over the communities (each is responsible for approximately 52 families), giving talks, working in the clinic, and much more.

Another great source of inspiration for me was Don Rosa. A man of around 60, his distinguished wrinkles reflected the warmth of his soul, as well as the suffering he endured during earlier years. He was a man full of candor, warmth, enthusiasm and action, and always involved in his community. He either organized larger projects or helped out in the community day-to-day. He was paid for a certain part of his participation as a community leader but his involvement and, more importantly his loving leadership, was far beyond what was expected of him. He never once complained and somehow always encouraged people around him to act the same. He is illiterate and yet regularly went to meetings with different district, county and city officials, seeing how he could help make a difference. During the civil war in El Salvador he helped create a water supply for the people in the region where he lived and beyond, walking from region to region, talking with people, arranging meetings, and much more. He also organized a group of people to build latrines in the neighborhood, since so many people were falling ill due to lack of sanitation.

– Domnica Fotino, Estancia, El Salvador, 1999

In This Issue:

DGH Profile: Juan Manuel Canales
People's Health in People's Hands
The Tireless Women of Mulukukú
Marching in the Streets of San Salvador
La Marcha Blanca: An Insider's Point of View
Human Rights Around the World
A Day's Life... Dominic Fontino