These health promoters act as health counselors for their communities, and therefore need to be trained in basic health care. Many have years of experience, and some are brand new. They range from 20-70 years old. Some have completed high school and maybe even some college classes, while others cannot read or write. It’s a mixed group!
These health promoters are currently going through monthly trainings provided by the MINSA. The trainings cover topics such as nutrition, danger signs during pregnancy/childbirth/postpartum, breast-feeding, basic hygiene, proper hand washing, dengue prevention, pneumonia, and more. At the end of the trainings, the participants receive a certificate of completion.
Part of our job is to provide some of these trainings, as we support the work of MINSA. The 170 health promoters have been divided into three smaller groups to make the trainings more manageable and effective. This week we participated in two group trainings. On Monday, I provided training on the benefits of breast-feeding for baby and mom. I played a game of fact/myth with the group as a way of sharing the information and then split them up into groups to put a skip together on how they would council a mother about breast-feeding. Surprisingly, many women do not breast-feed their children in Nicaragua. I also provided training on the proper nutrition for babies up to two years of age. Today, Tim and I jointly trained the women on the danger signs during pregnancy/childbirth/postpartum. It was really fun and interactive!
Training these health promoters is probably the most effective use of our time! I’m so glad we get to be a part of these trainings. We will continue to have them on a monthly basis until they complete all the trainings.
As many of the health promoters are illiterate, we proposed putting a literacy course together for those who are interested. Our counterpart at MINSA loved the idea and will support us by endorsing the course, promoting it, providing space for it, and will even cover lunch costs for the attendees. We are really excited! - Caressa