May 12, 2010 5:05:44 AM | Public Health Program Update: A Successful Alliance with Microfinance Brigades

Successful Alliance with Microfinance Brigades

By Lauryn Linsell, 05/10/2010)

With over 120 students coming to Honduras and more than 65 projects built this past brigade season, the Public Health program commemorated one of the most impactful months seen in the program’s history. It is important to note however, that as each of the programs within Global Brigades becomes interconnected in accordance with the multifaceted approach adopted by the organization, the success of one program depends on its integration with the others. In the case of Public Health, it is the close association with the Microfinance program that converted what we referred to as construction work, to development work.
After months of building projects in the community of Pajarillos, we began to detect a certain complacency and dependency within the community that created an undesirable environment for development. As a development organization, we support the philosophy behind the saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for today. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” In our case, we were handing out fish right and left, but the fishing poles were packed away and out of sight. Sweat equity was a requirement for those families receiving the projects we built, but without a high standard of accountability, many families struggled with that small investment.
In effort to increase responsibility, the Microfinance and Public Health programs have reassessed the family’s involvement and established a buy-in requirement for each project. Paying a small percentage of the cost of materials to the community bank (to eventually be used to further the construction of the Public Health projects), creates a higher sense of ownership and responsibility within the family and establishes an incentive for the maintenance of the projects.  At a very low cost relative to the less than minimum wage income, a family is able to provide infrastructure in their homes that improves their health and that of their community, exponentially.
However it doesn’t stop just there – a financial investment does not ensure that families will commit to building the projects with intentions of improving their health. The role of our Public Health Community Liaison, Orlando Osorto, in association with a community health group known as the Committee of Basic Sanitation (Comité de Saneamiento Básico, or CSB), is to awaken community members to the health advantages of the eco-stoves, hydraulic latrines, concrete floors, and water storage units that we build. When families understand the importance and the health implications of these projects, the process of applying for a micro-loan or opening an account to pay for the projects becomes much less daunting.
To encourage the building of all projects in each home, we have established an “all or nothing” requirement for each home that solicits the 4 projects built by Global Brigades. Essentially, a hydraulic latrine cannot properly be used and maintained without a water storage unit that provides the water to wash and flush the toilet. An eco-stove serves no purpose in reducing air pollution if the house has dirt floors that produce dust contamination. The health of a family is contingent on building all 4 of the projects, and not a select few. Access to funds for the projects is no longer an obstacle thanks to the community banks put in place by Microfinance Brigades; instead the responsibility lies on our Public Health program for the proper education surrounding the health implications and importance of our projects.

Lauryn Linsell is the Program Director for Public Health Brigades. She is living and working in Honduras. To contact her regarding the program, click here.