History of DGH In the Community

Autonomous Zapatista Communities

In 1996, DGH was invited to visit by Juan Manuel Canales, a Mexican physician working at the Hospital San Carlos who was planning a primary health system in the autonomous municipality near Altamirano. Two DGH board members visited the hospital and spoke to the Sisters and representatives of the Zapatista communities. Two years later, the first DGH volunteer spent a year in Altamirano.

Because of renewed tensions between the autonomous Zapatista communities and the government, foreigners couldn’t travel to the communities. So, the work was confined to the hospital. Then, in 1999, Dr. Canales decided to join DGH as the in-country coordinator and began to work with several Zapatista autonomous communities to build a public health-focused health promotor (community health worker) program. Since that time, DGH has continued to send physicians, nurses, and public health volunteers to the hospital and to work in the communities around Altamirano.

Current DGH Projects in Chiapas, Mexico

We work with 6 of the Zapatista autonomous municipalities. We primarily engage with the communities through health promoter instruction and conducting public health work. The in-country coordinator, Dr. Juan Manuel Canales, visits the communities frequently. There, he assists the health promoters attend to minor illnesses as well as planning preventive activities (ex., vaccination campaigns). The Zapatista autonomous municipalities have a very strong governing structure built around the Juntas de Buen Gobierno (Good Government Councils). Dr. Canales regularly meets with authorities at both the community level and the governing body for the whole zone to plan health work.

There is also a local hospital in Altamirano run by St. Vincent de Paul’s Daughters of Charity, Hospital San Carlos. This hospital serves the indigenous population of the area, and often, DGH volunteers support clinical work there.

Opportunities to Make a Difference

Future volunteer needs

We are looking forward to connecting dedicated people eager to help with our partners!

• Clinicians, especially family physicians or internists, pediatricians, and emergency medicine physicians, are generally welcomed in the hospital. However, this varies based on local hospital staffing.
• Fourth-year medical students are accepted if a fully trained physician is available locally to precept.
• Volunteers with experience working with community health workers may be eligible to work with Dr. Canales in the autonomous Zapatista communities. These volunteers need to be able to commit to at least 3 months.
• High school educators to work in the autonomous communities.
• Volunteers and educators with experience in agriculture and nutrition to work in autonomous communities.

Current material needs

• Stay tuned