Bringing better health care to communities in Central America

“Seven thousand people would benefit from this clinic. There are many needs here. People who undergo dialysis, pregnant women, among others.” – Douglas Tobar. COFOA leader in El Zuncita

Douglas, 52, says since 2014 he has to leave his house at 3:00 am to take two buses to the Rosales Hospital in the capital to undergo dialysis treatment due to kidney failure. The trip costs him $35.

For many years, Douglas and the residents of El Zuncita, a small community in the department of Sonsonate, have had the dream to build a clinic that can provide medical care for its 7,000 families.

Through Communities of Faith Organized in Action (COFOA), Douglas and his neighbors secured land from their municipality and registered it with the Ministry of Health for construction of a clinic. Now, they are pressing the Ministry to start the construction of this center as soon as possible.

Stories like this are being repeated in one hundred forty-four communities in El Salvador where COFOA leaders are pressing the national government to invest development funds in communities with the greatest need, around priorities set by local residents, to address critical needs like roads, schools, clinics and potable water.

In Honduras, where COFOA began organizing in 2022, hundreds of people have been meeting to find a similar path to open a regional hospital to serve rural communities outside of Tegucigalpa.