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Brazil Health Programs
Primary Health Care and Community Based Programs
A Child’s Life Program - This program benefits 111,400 people living in fourteen poor neighborhoods in Santarém and Belterra. By emphasizing breast-feeding, nutrition, danger signs of diarrhea and pneumonia, family planning, and hygiene, 3AO and the Fundação Esperança aim to lower infant mortality by helping mothers to better care for their children.
The Doug Jinks Children’s Center - Named in honor of a long time supporter of the Fundação Esperança, the Doug Jinks Children's Center provides basic health care for children up to eight years of age. Though there is an overabundance of fruit and fish in this region, 15% of the children are malnourished. As the success of this program has spread, the Children's Center now serves as the main referral point in the city for treating malnutrition.
The Diabetic Program - Diabetes is a critical problem among the elderly in Santarém, which often cause severe complications and premature death. In the Amazon, few diabetics are able to obtain the continuous care they need. 3AO and the Fundação Esperança offer regular exams, education, and physical activities to encourage our clients to assume responsibility for their health and to live a normal life.
Quilombo Project - Quilombos are the descendants of slaves who escaped during the last century. Today, they live in 27 villages in a biological reserve located on an isolated stretch of the Trombetas River, more than 24 hours by boat from Santarém. They live from hunting, fishing, and gathering rubber and Brazil nuts from the jungle. Prior to this project, these isolated villagers had no access to basic health care. Once a month, Fundação Esperança and 3AO send a team of physicians and nurses to provide basic medical care, immunizations, training and health education to the villages.
Reproductive Health Education - With a generous grant from the Lalor Foundation, 3AO and the Fundação Esperança trained a network of community health leaders to teach reproductive health education throughout the schools, health posts, and community centers of Santarém. The program worked in over 25 neighborhoods reaching a total population of 118,292. Though it is too early to judge the success of this program, the preliminary data shows dramatic decreases in the amount of sexually transmitted diseases reported by the Municipal Secretary of Health.