My Nonprofit Reviews

I became acquainted with Dr. Lanny Smith and people who would later form DGH when I worked as a pediatrician and field coordinator with Lanny in rural El Salvador (where DGH was born). I had planned to be there for 2 months and stayed for 2 years. My time in El Salvador was critical to my professional development. Working side by side with campesinos, listening as they prioritized their health needs, and helping them find and implement solutions, was a profound experience. During my time in El Salvador, we helped the people of these rural communities start a holistic health and human rights program that included the following: created and implemented diverse interactive curriculum for community health workers and kindergarten teachers; assisted design and implementation of community development projects focused on environmental stabilization, nutrition and water/sanitation; constructed two health clinics, five kindergartens and a vehicular bridge; worked with local counterparts to form nationally recognized, non-governmental organizations (Medicos por el Derecho a la Salud – Doctors for the Right to Health, and Asociacion Campesina para el Desarrollo Humano – Peasant Organization for Human Development). I gained firsthand knowledge of the social determinants of health and how to take a multidisciplinary approach to improve the health and well-being of all. I have been an active member of DGH ever since. We continue to work in Estancia, El Salvador, as well as Santa Marta, El Salvador; Chiapas, Mexico; Cusco, Peru; Guatemala; Uganda, and Burundi. We practice "liberation medicine," the conscious and conscientious use of health to promote human dignity and social justice. We believe optimal health is a human right regardless of people’s place in society, geographic location, physical or mental disability, culture, age or other attribute. We are addressing this by accompanying communities, while educating and inspiring others to action.

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