Background/History

The rural areas served by the project are small isolated communities where the Methodist church in Bolivia is the sole provider of modern preventive and basic curative health services. Government services are often distant and of low quality, often lacking in medicines and supplies. On unpredictable occasions, when the government health provider can be found, patients, all indigenous, are generally mistreated and discriminated against. The project is slowly contributing to changing this situation by providing quality services and advocating for improved government attention. The peri-urban component of this project is managed by the Consejo de Salud Rural Andino (Andean Rural Health Project) and serves more than 83,000 people in the cities of El Alto and Montero. Both cities, among the fastest growing in Bolivia, are inhabited by indigenous Aymara and Quechua peoples recently migrated from the rural highlands. They have traditionally been under-served and discriminated against. CSRA manages government and community owned facilities generating universal access to high quality preventive and basic curative care.

Goals & Objectives

1. Reduce morbidity and mortality in the program's area of influence

2. Develop a sustainable model for the delivery of accessible, high quality, preventive and curative health services to under-served communities.

Activities Plan

1. To Reduce morbidity and mortality,
1.1. CSRA will
1.1.1. Implement census based, community oriented primary healthcare services to 35,000 people in 30 low-income, urban neighborhoods in two cities
1.1.2. Provide access to maternal and child health services to 10,000 families
1.1.3. Promote family planning among 12,000 women of child-bearing age
1.1.4. Control communicable diseases such as TB, among 53,000 people in the cities of El Alto and Montero.
1.1.5. Provide critical complementary logistical and administrative support to clinics in El Alto and Montero
1.1.6. Train health workers and provide non-formal education for pregnant women and mothers.
1.2. To reduce morbidity and mortality, the Methodist Church in Bolivia (IEMB) will.
1.2.1. Implement community based, primary healthcare services to more than15,000 people in 39 low-income, rural communities through 7 health centers in different parts of Bolivia
2. To develop a model for health service delivery, CSRA will also:
2.1. Understand community priorities and help provide the corresponding services
2.2.Streamline the Census based approach to community health.
2.3. Work with community leaders to understand and advocate for improved government attention to community health
2.4. Support and upgrade capabilities of outstanding Bolivian professionals and mid-level personnel.
2.5. Monitor and follow-up on project activities to improve their impact on local health conditions.