Regional Stories
Paquita Medina, Ecuador
Durán, Ecuador, September 2017 (PAHO/WHO) - Paquita Medina sells tortillas to make a living – but not just any tortillas. The ones Paquita makes are prepared without fat, meaning a healthier choice is available for the people in Paquita´s community.
Paquita is one of more than 35 street vendors who have stopped…
Anet Naranjo, Cuba
"A grain that I plant in each person today, will grow to be something wonderful tomorrow".
Anet Naranjo is 19 years old and lives in Cerro, Havana, Cuba. She is a health promoter at the National Center for the Prevention of STIs and HIV/AIDS and belongs to the group of young volunteers for the Trolley for Life (Carrito por…
Nancy Vides, El Salvador
One part education, one part guidance on healthy lifestyles, another part self-care for preventing disease; a bit of follow-up on medication, and some community organization; this is Nancy Vides´s recipe for health promotion in her community of Mejicanos in San Salvador, El Salvador.
"These are all factors that help…
Expedito Cañaveral, Colombia
Every day, without fail, Expedito Cañaveral treks half an hour on foot, climbing stairs and navigating winding dirt mountain paths to arrive at the house of his neighbor, Alba Gaviria, in the La Honda neighborhood outside of Medellin, Colombia. He never misses a visit because he knows it could be a matter of life…
Fabian Barracks, Jamaica
"Community health promotion has to include reaching our young people, and that means bringing health messages to them in a package they can appreciate and understand," says 29-year-old Fabian Barracks of Jamaica, who has written, produced and directed nine theatrical works that tackle various social issues. At the…
Nicole Griffith, Barbados, September 2018
For 28-year-old teacher and nutritionist Nicole Griffith in Barbados, teaching kids about how to eat healthy foods so they can lead healthy, productive lives leads to a special kind of personal satisfaction. "Especially when it comes to (kids with) diabetes," notes Nicole.
In addition to teaching at the…
Rose Anderson, Belize
Rose Anderson, from San Ignacio Town in Belize, is an avid advocate for health education and promotion in her community. For the last 15 years, she has been leading an initiative with the Health Education and Community Participation Bureau (HECOPAB) to train Community Health Workers (CHWs) in rural areas on topics such…
Roberto Valenzuela, Bolivia
The birthplace of 30-year-old Roberto Valenzuela, the Nuevo Amanecer neighborhood in El Alto, Bolivia, is more than 4,150 meters above sea level. Roberto is an urban artist, break dancer, and representative of the citizens´ collective of the Manq´a (“food” in the Aymara language) Cooking Schools.
The Manq´ a…