Programs / Public Health / Communities / Los Trigales «

About Los Trigales

Los Trigales is a small community with a population of 114 people living

in 21 houses in the mountainous municipality of San Juan de Flores. Prior

to Global Brigades' arrival, people in Los Trigales suffered from a lack of

potable water, hygiene and sanitation infrastructure, healthcare, and

education. Common colds, parasites, and diarrheal disease were common.

Few homes had concrete floors, functioning latrines, proper water storage,

or efficient stoves with chimneys. School is offered until ninth grade in the

nearby community of El Zurzular, at which point most children begin to work in

agriculture to support their families. The closest health center is over an hour

walk away. The average family income is estimated to be 1,500 Lempiras

per month, which calculates to less that $1.00 per day.

Los Trigales' Public Health Challenge

Many community members in Los Trigales lacked the resources needed to

improve their homes and prevent diseases caused by unsafe living

environments. The majority of homes were made of adobe, straw, and mud

and few homes had hygiene stations, cement floors, and eco-stoves prior to

the arrival of Global Brigades. Such living conditions triggered disease. The

lack of hygiene stations led to high rates of diarrhea and water-borne disease,

the absence of cement floors caused parasitic infection and Chagas Disease,

and the lack of eco-stoves resulted in respiratory problems in the community. Not only did the creation of health infrastructure better the health of household members through improved sanitation and hygiene, but it also improved their quality-of-life as the new water storage units will reduce time spent walking to water sources and the eco-stove reduced firewood consumption by about 70%.

Although community members 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 receiving any education about the topic.

The Public Health Solution for Los Trigales

Public Health Brigaders from several different universities and the Public Health Brigades in-country team worked in Los Trigales from June 2011 – August 2011. During this time, volunteers and staff members will work with community members to:
     • Identify community leaders and train them to form the Basic Sanitation Committee

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 monitors the correct usageand maintenance of the new infrastructure. Clear responsibilities and powers are assigned to each member, making the beneficiaries themselves an even stronger stakeholder in the Public Health projects.

Current Status

Completed: August 2011

After numerous successful brigades, the Public Health Brigades Program exited the community of Los Trigales. Exiting the community signifies that the program  no longer be brings brigades to this community and will gradually lessen follow-up to one visit every 6 months-1 year. The Public Health Brigades program trusts that the community members will maintain their projects with the assistance of the trained masons and understand the importance of building safe living environments whenever they construct new homes.

Visit Other Programs in Los Trigales

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

Medical Dental  CHW  Engineering Water  Microfinance  Business  Architecture