Project Launch:

Pampa Elera Baja is a small, rural village located in the north of Peru, where the majority of children under the age of five are malnourished. There is a small health post in the community, but with lack of resources and a small staff, there is little community education on how to prevent malnutrition. This project aims to improve the individual health of children through educating their mothers on important health issues. Through this project, 30 rural mothers with children under the age of three will receive monthly one-on-one health trainings from a Peace Corps Volunteer and volunteer health promoters. The training sessions will focus on hand washing, nutrition, early childhood stimulation and prevention of illnesses and parasites. The mothers will receive bi-weekly house visits to monitor and evaluate their behavior changes and children’s health status. At the end of the project, the mothers who have adapted the new health protocols will receive new and improved cookstoves for their homes, helping to reduce indoor air pollution and adverse health effects from indoor smoke.