Community Health Peer Counselors
CASA established its first library in 1990 and since 2000 the main library has been located in a working class neighborhood. Locals visit daily, and participate in varied activities such as literacy and computer classes. The children from CASA’s Early Childhood Development Center also use the library every day. The library is an important resource for a diverse group of people, including CASA staff, health professionals, and midwifery students. Prior to their contact with the CASA library, many of these people had never been to a library
Program activities include:
Started en 1981, the underlying philosophy for this long-standing CASA program is that through individual empowerment and education, young people, especially young women, will take pride in their human and reproductive rights. Through their empowerment, they will be better prepared to delay their first pregnancies and avoid unplanned pregnancies. In the past few years, the program has expanded to include the topics of ecology and nutrition, as it seeks to promote responsible attitudes and healthy behaviors in regards to sexual health, nutrition and ecology. The program currently works in 16 rural communities and is made up of a team of two coordinators, 10 peer counselors, and dozens of volunteers.
Achievements to date
- Family planning: Courses on sexuality and family planning and the distribution of free contraception.
- Nutrition: Workshops promoting healthy eating habits, community gardens and zumba classes.
- Ecology: Workshops promoting sustainable practices for preserving the environment, recycling programs, and reforestation campaigns.
Achievements to date
- Workshops: To date, 14,849 workshops to 221,477 parents, children and adolescents have been given with topics such as: sexual education, human rights, self-esteem, nutrition, and environmental conservation.
- Home visits: To date, 1,518,725 home visits to more than 266 rural communities in the state of Guanajuato.
- Family Planning: 33,073 committed users of family planning methods.
- Nutrition: 2,048 nutritional workshops.
- Recycling: 480 cleaning and recycling campaigns.
- Community Gardens: From 2009 to date, more than 400 organic community gardens have been planted with squash, green beans, cilantro and onions.
- Reforestation campaigns: 4,290 trees have been planted in 17 annual reforestation campaigns in public areas of the communities.
- CASA has published an 815-page manual on peer counseling.
- In 2010, sexuality, environmental, and nutrition workshops were provided to 6,082 people in 84 communities. This year, the program has worked with 698 people, conducted 4,028 home visits and planted more than 150 organic gardens.
Goals for 2011/2012
- Continue to educate the peer counselors to better prepare them for their work in the community.
- Implement an educational campaign on family planning, domestic violence, and gender equality for men in rural and urban areas.
Contact
Program Coordinators
Anabel Hernández y Marlene Guzmán:
psc@casa.org.mx
Tel. (415) 154 6090 / 6060
Development Coordinator:
Ana Lucía Márquez, development@casa.org.mx
Tel. (415) 154 6090 ext. 103. US: (718) 360 5645