When Isabel Peralta, the AMOS-trained community health volunteer in the rural community of La Consulta, received a call to check on a Esmilda, a 20-year-old woman who was pregnant, he didn’t hesitate.
The nearest health unit? 7.5 miles away.
From the moment Esmilda’s pregnancy was confirmed, Isabel provided accompaniment and counseling. At four months pregnant, Esmilda woke up in severe abdominal pain and vomiting. Isabel immediately recognized the signs of alarm. He arranged transport to the health unit 7.5 miles away. From there, Esmilda was rushed to a hospital. She required emergency surgery for appendicitis. She survived, and so did her baby.
Three months later, at 2:00 a.m., Isabel’s phone rang again. Esmilda’s water broke and she was going into labor early, a potentially life-threatening situation for both mom and baby. “I left immediately and rushed to get there,” Isabel says.
After checking on Esmilda and assessing the severity of the situation, Isabel coordinated transport to a hospital in Chinandega (the nearest city about 2 hours away).
Esmilda had a C-section and was hospitalized for over a month.
Today, her baby is 9 months old and thriving. And Isabel? He still checks in on them and follows-up on the baby’s weight and development.
In a place where ambulances cannot get to and doctors are far away, your gift can bring hope… fast.
Your donation helps train health volunteers like Isabel and gives them the tools to serve as a light of hope in critical moments.
And, today your gift will have an ever greater impact. Thanks to a matching opportunity, every dollar you give will be DOUBLED, to have TWICE the impact!