History of DGH in the Community – Global Health in Estancia

DGH was born out of work that began in the communities of Estancia, El Salvador, a remote mountainous area that was heavily affected by loss and destruction during the country’s twelve-year civil war. In the post-civil war period of the mid-1990s, dedicated volunteers already working in the area came together to form DGH in order to continue working with these communities to rebuild and plan for a brighter future.

Woman reading a book with young children in Estancia, El Salvador

DGH has been accompanying the people of Estancia ever since, helping to build a bridge connecting these remote communities to the rest of the world, and taking part in projects in the areas of health, education, environment, agriculture, income generation, community development, and more.

In 2001, members of the community joined together to form La Asociación de Campesinos para el Desarrollo Humano (Peasants for Human Development, CDH), which was officially recognized as a Salvadoran nonprofit organization in August 2004. Its mission is “to bring together, strengthen, and organize our communities in order to find solutions to the common problems we face, bringing about comprehensive human development.”

Today, DGH supports CDH as it runs the local community health center and takes on a range of community health and development projects.

Current DGH Projects in Estancia

DGH partners with the local non-profit CDH (La Asociación de Campesinos para el Desarrollo Humano) to provide a comprehensive approach to individual and community wellbeing. Current projects include:

Medical Projects:

  • CAIPES Clinic: Staffed by a local physician, health promoters, and DGH volunteers, the clinic averages 2,000 visits a year. The team cares for patients of all ages and addresses both acute complaints and chronic health conditions. The staff also evaluates patients in their homes in the case of emergency or complex needs.
  • Referrals for complex care coordination: The CAIPES clinic has a robust referral and health care coordination system. By maintaining this system, they help ensure patients receive appropriate specialty-level care in nearby cities.
  • Laboratorio Mason Martinez: A clinical laboratory provides real-time blood, stool, and urine tests to assist in patient assessments at the CAIPES clinic. The lab is managed and staffed by a professional lab technician who processes more than 1,000 exams a year. The lab is also available to patients in the community who are getting care through El Salvador’s public health system. It is the only lab facility accessible to Estancia residents.

Broader Community Focus Projects:

  • Environmental health projects: Recently, projects have included improving local water supplies, installing latrines, removing trash, and rebuilding local forests. 
  • Community education: CDH staff, including health promoters and the CAIPES physician, give talks throughout the community, educating members about health, nutrition, and more.
  • Housing improvement: CDH has helped hundreds of local families build safer and more robust homes. They have improved roofs, walls, floors, and cooking facilities. 
  • Transportation: CDH is currently building a small bridge over a local creek to improve wet-season road conditions. Past projects have included two vehicular bridges over major rivers, which opened up transportation in the area. One bridge became the basis for a major road between two local towns.
  • Microcredit: CDH provides community members with loans to be used for small business capital and for agriculture.
  • Government advocacy: Community members led by CDH staff have successfully advocated with local and provincial governments. Advocacy projects have been for a local high school, better roads, and investments in early childhood education.

Opportunities to Make a Difference

Current volunteer needs:

On-the-ground volunteers in Estancia need to be Spanish-speaking and need prior experience in a developing country. There are opportunities to help support this project from your own home base that are open to all.

Volunteers needed for the US support team:

  • Public health and medical professionals and students to help with program design and grant writing
  • Volunteers with experience in social media content creation
  • Web designers 
  • People from any background who are willing to roll up their sleeves and dig into organizational work. Depending on their interests, this work can take many forms.

Volunteers needed in Estancia:

  • Medical professionals and health professions students to serve in the clinic, doing home visits, and educating community members
  • Photographers, journalists, and other accomplished story-tellers to help tell the story of CDH and of Estancia
  • Public health professionals and students to work on program design and implementation
  • Physical and occupational therapists
  • Social workers and others to work with youth around leadership development and violence prevention
  • Educators to support kindergarten teachers
  • Volunteers interested in working with and developing women’s community groups
  • Volunteers with expertise in environmental projects, including water purification, waste collection, and tropical agriculture

Current material needs:

  • Laptop computers
  • A portable otoscope
  • Suture material
  • Glucometer kits with supplies
  • Minor surgery supplies, including scissors and forceps
  • Pulse oximeters
  • Digital thermometers
  • Some non-expired medications (contact us for details)

Contact us at dghinfo@dghonline.org if you would like to help.

We source most supplies locally. A $50 donation goes far in allowing us to purchase supplies in-country. You can also donate here.