What We Do > CMMB People > Baby Luz Catches a Cold in El Salvador

Little Luz had been a happy, healthy baby until she developed shallow, hurried breathing. Her mother took her to see a farmer, Patricio Fuentes, in their village in El Salvador. What in the world could a farmer do to help a sick child? A great deal, it turns out, because Patricio is also the local health promoter in the village. He had been trained by CMMB’s Accion por la Salud Familiar program to detect the early signs of easily treated childhood diseases. He knew how many children across Latin America succumb to upper respiratory illnesses or diarrhea, conditions which can be easily addressed if identified early and treated appropriately. Patricio’s training immediately alerted him to the potential seriousness of Luz’s symptoms, which suggested pneumonia, and he directed the Luz’s mother to take her to the healthcare clinic run by the Santo Domingo de Guzman parish in Chiltiupan. There, she was examined by Dr. Pena Barrazza, who prescribed the proper medications. The story of little Luz is being replicated over and over again across Latin America as more local health promoters are trained in the program.

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