Aracely Arauz is 32 years old and lives in the community of San Jose de la Mula.
Aracely and her husband have three children: a 9-year-old girl, a 4-year-old boy, and an 11-day-old newborn baby! Aracely’s husband grows and harvests beans and corn to make a living. These crops are also their main source of food.
Aracely and her husband live pretty far from the community clinic in San Jose de la Mula, which means it’s difficult for them to go there. So, they cross the river that divides their community from Sabalete and visit that community clinic instead.
The community of Sabalete has two active Health Promoters who work and bring health to almost 300 families that live there. Their names are Pedro Pablo and Jose Esteban. You may remember them from previous emails.
Recently, our staff visited San Jose de la Mula and talked with Aracely and her husband about their daily life and the challenges they face.
Aracely shared: “Whenever my children or I feel sick, we visit the community clinic in Sabalete. We usually cross the river jumping on the rocks. But when the water level rises, we build rafts out of wood sticks, and that’s how we cross. I have crossed that way many times, even during my pregnancy.”
“We visit the community clinic because of the free medicines provided there. One day, during my pregnancy, I had a strong headache. I visited the clinic in Sabalete, and they gave me acetaminophen. They explained that was the only medication I could take, for the health of my baby.”
When Aracely was ready to give birth, she took a bus at 5am and traveled for around 3 hours to reach the nearest hospital in the town of Matiguas.
Luckily, her sister was able to accompany her on this journey and take care of her before, during, and after her delivery. And thanks to the work of our trained Health Promoters, Aracely made the journey to give birth safely in a hospital; she was properly advised throughout her pregnancy and also received the prenatal vitamins her baby required to grow healthy.
Currently, Aracely and her baby are safe are home. This is a blessing – the blessing of health care that we all should be able to access, no matter where we are born, and no matter where we live.
And because of stories like these, we give thanks to you for helping us BE THERE for families, moms, and babies, in 23 rural communities across Nicaragua.