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“In too many places around the world, a lack of medicines and care causes health disasters every day. With our expertise and donations, we can build health care capacity and create lasting change.” — AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling
At just 9 years of age, Lina* has a health history that could spell disaster in El Salvador— it includes hepatitis, dengue fever and malnutrition. Left untreated, any one of those conditions could have made Lina sick for years, perhaps even her entire life.
But in 2003, the year she was born, AmeriCares opened a clinic in Lina’s hometown of Santiago de Maria. One of nearly 300,000 people who have received care there since then, Lina has overcome every health challenge and is now a thriving, growing girl who can focus on school and family life.
Health promotion and prevention
Lina explained that she likes visiting the clinic. “I get medicine from the doctor when I am sick,” she said. “She makes me feel better and tells me how to avoid getting sick again.”
Lina’s mother, a 29-year-old single mother of two, acknowledged that the clinic offers care that she otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. Over the years the clinic has become a pillar in this underserved community, not only by providing high quality, multidisciplinary affordable treatment, but also by educating new generations on disease prevention and healthy lifestyles.
For hundreds of thousands of people worldwide like Lina, AmeriCares has helped to create a foundation of health by providing a dependable source of primary care. In a country such as El Salvador, where more than one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, this care can make a life-saving difference.
“In too many places around the world, a lack of medicines and care causes health disasters every day,” says AmeriCares President and CEO Curt Welling. “With our expertise and donations, we can build health care capacity and create lasting change.”
*name changed
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