Tackling Poverty’s Threat

Impact: El Salvador

“I had some health issues, but I didn’t know what was wrong with me. My whole body hurt,” says Victoria, a Salvadoran mother of two.   

For too many people like Victoria in rural El Salvador, income – and health – are uncertain. Americares clinic in El Salvador launched the Poverty Access Program to provide comprehensive health care to low-income Salvadorans at no cost, last year reaching 1,710 people, including Victoria. She and her husband are farmers, and frequent droughts cut into their income, putting health care out of reach. “I earn about $40 a week, but if I have to see a private doctor, I need to bring $150 just for the consultation,” says Victoria.

“Poverty is a threat to life,” says Criseida Batres, executive coordinator of general medicine at Americares Clínica Integral de Atención Familiar. “When people lack the resources to access health care, diagnoses often come too late, leading to cases where little can be done.”

As a patient in Americares Poverty Access Program, Victoria was diagnosed with diabetes; she and her family now receive medicine and regular care at no cost, allowing Victoria to focus on her family’s future. “A mother is always there,” she says. “Hoping her child moves forward.”