| We are about 200 of us (or perhaps more).
We are American physicians and international volunteers, El Salvadorean doctors and health promoters (promotoras) and community organizers, and people of similar persuasions from other Central American countries.
We are gathered in El Salvador for the 12th annual general assembly of Doctors for Global Health, an organization that was founded in 1995 by Lanny Smith, a mentor and inspiring physician in the US who spent 6 years in El Salvador working with others to empower communities around health. This gathering in El Salvador is the first general assembly outside of the US, and my friends and I are pretty lucky to experience it.
The setup: Pre-conference day trip to a town called Santa Marta. This town is full of progressive community organizers who have shown sustainable improvements in community health through various programs.
Next -- 3 days of an inspiring conference, breakout sessions, and cultural entertainment at a beautiful and quaint retreat center in San Salvador.
Lastly -- a two-day trip to Morazon, in north-east El Salvador -- to listen to the community there discuss their successes, strategies, and struggles around health empowerment.
What a revolutionary ride it is -- to experience El Salvador, the energy here, and a health conference so broadly inclusive of the social determinants of health (poverty, housing, gender, food, etc). More to follow...
And lastly, some info on Doctors for Global Health from their website:
Though many of us are health professionals, our solutions extend far beyond the medical. We volunteer our time and expertise in communities that invite us to join them. We fund and support local projects that build on the energy, creativity and passion of local leaders. We educate and advocate for domestic and foreign policies that promote justice and peace. We accompany communities in fulfilling health and other human rights...
Every community we accompany has unique strengths and needs, but they all share a common thread: The health inequities they face are symptoms of larger social, economic and political injustices. Malnutrition, poverty, preventable death and violence all violate basic human rights. As global citizens, we must name and challenge these injustices. |
