HEALTH TRAINING

Health/public health promoter training is one of the largest components of Concern America's programs abroad, and it is a good illustration of its philosophy of development. Many of the communities in which Concern America works have no trained health workers whatsoever, and the nearest health facility is often hours away. The simplest solution might appear to be to send a doctor, nurse or public health specialist to serve the community; but clearly this is not a long-term solution leading to self-sufficiency. Instead, Concern America concentrates on sending health/public health professionals to train local people, often selected by their community, to become primary health care workers, known as health/public health promoters because their role is to educate people to prevent as well as to treat illness; the training also includes midwives who focus on women's health needs.

These promoters and midwives usually have little formal education and no background in health care work. They are taught basic information about the causes and treatments of common illnesses, including the use of basic medicines. Often, they are helped to start a self-sustaining community medicine dispensary, making the basic medicines they have studied available at low cost to community members.

An integral part of this health training is leadership formation and community organization, leading to local participation in the creation of societal structures that meet the needs of the people themselves. This approach recognizes that in order to create truly healthy communities, in addition to health care and education, one must also address socioeconomic, environmental, and political forces.