Teosinte

Teosinte's health clinic has made leaps and bounds progress since I lived there in 1988-89. The Clinic I worked in was a mud-floor, plastic-walled and corrugated metal-roofed small building with 3 small rooms! Behind the entry/waiting room separated by a curtain was the "exam table" (a 3-legged cot!). No electricity, open fire to sterilize instruments.

	Elena Alas, health promoter and midwife par exce1ence!! Is suturing a wound in thenext clinic, very primitive but with a floor of sorts, although it was not cleanable, a brick-walled building. No lights or running water yet! This clinic served from about 1990 through 1998. Through all the buildings, Elena Alas has served as midwife and doctor for the community, and has birthed every baby since 1988 both in Teosinte and in surrounding communities. Many a night at 1:00 or 2:00 am, Elena scurried up the mountain an hour or two to attend a difficult birth.
	Teosinte's new First World standard clinic, built in 1999 with funds donated by a Belgian physician who was so impressed with Elena's dedication when he visited an advanced health promoter class Elena was attending, that he told her he would bui1 a first-class clinic in Teosinte. This Clinic has sinks with running water, the only flush toilet in Teosinte, a tile floor that is cleanable, an electric autoclave to sterilize instruments, an exam room with real exam table, a small pharmacy, a small surgical room and a birthing room.
	Elena holding baby she just birthed in the birthing room. Elena is very unusua1--she is very selfless, and always serving others, very conscientious, always learning, barely literate as she had no education as a child, very smart, widow of the war and lost three sons to the war. She could not work in Teosinte without our salary support. She is the reason Teosinte and surrounding area have the lowest infant mortality rate in all of E1 Salvador

Continue >

	History of WEPI Historia de WEPI		Letter from Sylvia
	The Scholarship Program La Programa de Becas		Elderly Assistance
	The Stove Project La Programa de Estufas		Health Support Team