2006 Annual Report from Plan International
Pictures of Marisol are posted in the "Photo Journal" section of the site.
Plan
Tarija
Marisol-mariela Miranda and her community
Community name:
Information for: Rotary Club of
Information collected by: Alicia Gudina, community volunteer
Person Interviewed: Marisol-mariela's father Eulogio
Introducing this update
This report follows a visit to Marisol-mariela's family and uses a standard format to ensure that it provides an update on how Marisol-mariela and her family are. It also outlines the work that Plan is doing with them and their whole community.
Strengthening a bond
We spoke with Marisol-mariela's family and they provided us with an update on Marisol-mariela's activities over the past year. Below are some key facts, but please also write and send greetings to Marisol-mariela and her family.
Marisol-mariela's Health
Marisol-mariela has been healthy over the last year.
Marisol-mariela's Education
Marisol-mariela does not attend school because she had a lack of interest. Children in this society often help support the family either by helping out at home or by going out to earn additional money, so many children drop out. Plan and the community are working together to improve the accessibility and perceived importance of education to all.
Marisol-mariela's family situation
There have been some changes within Marisol-mariela's living arrangements for Marisol-mariela. Over the past year, Marisol-mariela's brother, Wilfredo and her sisters Yaneth and Enilda, have left to seek employment elsewhere. Employment opportunities are rare, so many people move away from their own community in search of work so that they can continue to help support the family from afar.
The family's access to basic services
Marisol-mariela's family is still using a private latrine for their toilet facilities. The family's water comes from a domestic connection officially installed all year around. The nearest health facility is about forty five minutes away.
What has been happening in the area where Marisol-mariela lives?
In order to support institutional developments in Habitat partner organizations, Plan covers costs of external consultants who help to develop projects and supervisory activity related to the CPO. Plan
With Plan's help, in coordination with the Ministry of Health, the health services staff received training in Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses (IMCI). This followed standards set by the World Health Organization and the Ministry of Health. The IMCI is a vital strategy of the World Health Organization to reduce child mortality for those under the age of five. Now, the staff is capable of providing higher quality attention to these children when they become ill with diarrhea, cough, fever, measles, malnutrition and anaemia and of offering advice to the parents on how to avoid the illnesses. Costs include the purchase of materials for educational sessions, and when needed refreshments and hiring of a facilitator.
Due to insufficient levels of education in the rural areas, families do not have knowledge that allows them to identify and administer the most productive and convenient businesses for improving their family incomes, nor do they know how to utilize credit resources that will help their economic activities. In order to face this weakness, Plan and other specialized institutions have given training's geared specifically towards women in business management, commercialism of their products and good use of credits. This training is specifically for women who own small businesses, and is accompanied by a credit program administered by our partners. Training is carried out by associate organizations and consultants. Costs covered include the hiring of an expert facilitator as well as renting of space and costs of support materials for educational sessions.
In the rural communities, the women contribute effectively to the income generation for the family. With the goal of providing training for them in productive abilities such as carpentry, weaving, baking and food preparation, Plan, in coordination with other specialized institutions has given training workshops to reinforce and teach new practices, the same which will allow the women to validate their abilities, increase their income and improve their participation in family and group activities. Plan covers costs of hiring an expert facilitator as well as renting of space and costs of support materials for educational sessions.
Together with specialized institutions, Plan has provided agricultural training courses directed at school age children, teachers and farmers, with the goal of improving their crops, increasing their production and teaching new agricultural technologies. The application of this new knowledge in their daily practices and the improvement of their productivity will allow the families to cover the nutritional needs of the children. Plan covers costs of hiring of an expert facilitator in the area, rental of space and the purchase of support materials for educational sessions.
The families in affiliated communities with children under 5 have participated in community courses where they learn how to prevent common illnesses such as diarrhea, coughs, fever, measles, malnutrition and anemia, which frequently put the life of children at risk. They learn how to take care of the children when they are sick and when it is necessary to take them to the closest health centre. Costs included the purchases for educational sessions, as well as for refreshments and hiring of a facilitator.
In Tarija, Plan regularly provides gasoline and maintenance for the motorcycles used in the reproductive health program. This allows the health centre personnel to visit the communities where they train and supervise the community volunteers, distribution of medical supplies and educational activities on reproductive health with couples. This product guarantees effectiveness of program activities and so supports health service activity at a community level.
Communication activity is extremely important in support of health education sessions. In
Plan, along with the community health agents from your sponsored child's community participated in monthly meetings of the Information Analysis Committee. Volunteer health promoters and health officials from the Ministry of Public Health participated in these meetings and identified the most important health problems of children and their mothers. They planted solutions to respond to these problems and maintain daily statistics regarding illnesses, deaths and epidemics. The costs included logistical support and photocopying of information instruments.
Plan supported the activities of supervision and monitoring of the health programs run by Plan and by the district health officials, providing vehicle maintenance, gasoline and per diems. Supervision activity permits project quality control, with the aim of providing greater quality in the process. These activities are the responsibility of Plan personnel or those hired by Plan. Costs include realization of supervision activity by Plan personnel or specialized technicians working for Plan. Other costs covered include logistical: petrol and vehicle rental. These expenses are classified as program support costs.
Children under five years of age in your community have benefited from regular vaccination activities and periodic campaigns for which Plan provides logistical support, gasoline, transportation, alcohol, cotton and other essential inputs. These campaigns are strictly coordinated with the Ministry of Health, the Municipalities and the communities. The children receive vaccines which prevent tuberculosis, diphtheria, tetanus, measles and whooping cough.
Health activities require trained health personnel to offer quality attention for the children under five, adolescents and the reproductive population. Educational sessions were held with supporting materials, hiring of facilitators, rental of space, refreshments.
With the end result of providing other income generating opportunities for the family, Plan has worked in coordination with other specialized institutions to provide training workshops for men in skills such as carpentry, metal works, plumbing and masonry. This will allow them to diversify their sources of income and have self-employment opportunities. Plan covers costs of hiring an expert facilitator as well as rent and costs of support materials for educational sessions.
In coordination with the Municipality, Plan has helped with the enlargement of the community water system, which did not previously reach all areas. This allows more families in the community to have access to potable water. This refers to improvements in existing water systems that have deteriorated over time or that do not supply all areas. Costs include consultants for evaluation of the existing system, as well as construction of water capture points, piping, storage tanks, distribution networks and domestic connections as is recommended by water quality studies. It also includes costs of consultants responsible for projects up to final handover.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this project. We will continue to work with the community to improve the life of Marisol-mariela and all the other children in the area. The goal is to assist them as they realize their potential.
Through your link with Marisol-mariela you share in the work of the whole community. Your contributions help to fund community projects that families are doing with Plan to benefit their children. We thank you for your continued commitment.