Programs / Public Health / Communities / El Ojochal «

 

About El Ojochal

El Ojochal is a community with a population of 209 people living in

approximately 50 homes.  It is an extremely rocky community,

belonging to the municipality of Amapala in the department of Valle. 

El Ojochal is primarily an agricultural community, mainly harvesting

corn and melons.  Many community members also work in the

shrimp industry, although this work is seasonal.  In El Ojochal, there

is a school which has kindergarten through 6th grade and an active

Water Council, Basic Sanitation Committee, and Caja Rural. 

El Ojochal was inaugurated in August 2014 to be a holistic

community since Medical/Dental, Water, Microfinance, Public

Health, and Architecture Brigades are all completed.

 

El Ojochal's Public Health Challenge

Many community members in El Ojochal lacked the resources

needed to improve their homes and prevent diseases caused by

unsafe living environments.  Prior to the arrival of the Public Health

Brigades in 2013, most homes lacked latrines and showers, forcing

community members to relieve themselves and bathe outside. 

Similarly, most community members could not safely store their

water, which increased the risk of waterborne disease.  Further

imperiling community members' health, the majority of homes
had dirt floors and traditional stoves, resulting in both parasitic
infections such as Chagas Disease and respiratory problems
respectively.  The creation of health infrastructure not only
bettered the health of communtiy members through improved
sanitation and hygiene, but also improved their quality of life as
the projects also reduced time spent collecting firewood for
cooking and environmental destruction in their community.

 

Although community memebrs recognized the problems inherent to their living environments, they did not have the economic resources nor the technical knowledge needed to address them.  Moreover, the level of awareness concerning sanitation and the importance of health was very low as the children did not receive any education about the topic prior to the entry of the Public Health Program.

 

The Public Health Solution for El Ojochal

Public Health Brigaders from several different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in El Ojochal from June 2013 – April 2014. During this time, volunteers and staff members worked with community members to:

     • Identify community leaders and train them to form the Basic Sanitation Committee

     • Increase cultural sensitivity and awareness by working side by side with qualified masons and
       project beneficiaries

     • Build over 50 eco-stoves, 50 latrines, 50 hygiene stations, and hundreds of square meters of cement floor

     • Conduct educational workshops emphasizing the importance of sanitation and hygiene in local
       primary schools

 

To ensure the sustainability of the in-home infrastructure projects, the Public Health Program provides continuous follow-up in the community. It also forms and trains the Basic Sanitation Committee, a community body formed by local leaders which is entitled to monitor the correct utilization and maintenance of the infrastructures. Clear responsibilities and powers are assigned to each member, making the beneficiaries themselves an even stronger stakeholder of the Public Health projects.

 

Public Health Brigades Chapters that Worked in El Ojochal
Public Health Brigades Chapter	Month	Volunteers
University of Washington	June 2013	15
UC San Diego	June 2013	25
DePaul University	June 2013	7
Wayne State	August 2013	13
Greater Piedmont/UC Berkley Post Bacc	August 2013	41
Explore Honduras/University of Houston	August 2013	12
Imperial	September 2013	49
DePaul University	December 2013	19
University of Illinois - Chicago	December 2013	40
UNC Wilmington	December 2013	4
St. Louis University	January 2014	21
Brandeis University	January 2014	13
Albion College	January 2014	16
Harvard University	January 2014	32
St. Olaf University	February 2014	16
College of William and Mary	March 2014	19
Indiana University	March 2014	27
University of Arizona (Professional)	March 2014	19
Acadia University	April 2014	31

 

Current Status

COMPLETE

After numerous successful brigades, the Public Health program exited the community of El Ojochal in April 2014. Exiting the community signifies that the program will no longer be bringing brigades to the community and will gradually lessen the follow-up visits to once every 6 months-1 year. The Public Health program trusts that the community members will maintain their projects with the assistance of the trained Basic Sanitation Committee and understand the importance of building safe living environments whenever they construct new homes.

 

Visit Other Programs in El Ojochal

Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of collectively implementing health, economic, and education initiatives so strategically meet a community's development goals.  Learn more about the other programs being implemented in El Ojochal:

 

MedicalDentalEngineering MicrofinanceWater BusinessArchitectureCHW