All promoters conduct weekly informational sessions about nutrition, hygiene, common illnesses and family planning. They also do spot checks and reward adherence to basic hygiene with a t-shirt or other piece of clothing. The health care promoters (whose own lives have been enriched by working with Vamos Adelante) distribute donated clothing, vitamins, blankets, basic kitchen equipment and food to the most needy. At weekly group meetings, they report back to the organization about the most pressing needs, helping us tune into new developments or opportunities.

Villagers who are in need of medical attention are seen at our health clinic in the village of Guadelupe El Zapote. Here, we treat more than 2600 patients each year. Without our help, many of these patients would not have access to treatment, as the area in which they live (covering approximately 12,000 people) has no regular medical services. Our volunteer doctor treats all patients free of charge and Vamos Adelante provides them with free or low-cost medication, depending on their income.

Patients requiring specialized treatment are accompanied to hospitals by their local health promoter, and Vamos Adelante pays for their transport costs and all medical bills if they cannot afford it themselves. On average, Vamos Adelante accompanies more than 250 patients to operations in different hospitals and more than 1000 patients to dental appointments per year.

We also sometimes host teams of visiting specialists (dentists, gynecologists, etc.), who carry out routine treatments and specific procedures directly in the villages.

To combat the high level of burn accidents and respiratory disease in the area, Vamos Adelante has distributed more than 400 "Helps" Cooking Stoves. These stoves also help families cut down on wood consumption by up to 60%.

Vamos Adelante helps the neediest families to improve their living standards by donating basic housing materials such as tin sheets and beds.

An example of our work on hygiene and healthcare:

• Nine-year old Lucia was born almost completely blind. Because both of her parents died in an accident when she was very young, Lucia was suffering not only from her illness but also from the isolation in which she lived with only her two elderly grandparents. In the rural Guatemala, a blind child like Lucia has almost no opportunity to go to school or play normally with other children. When Vamos Adelante heard about Lucia situation, we took her to a specialized eye surgeon in Antigua to find out if anything could be done about her sight. Two surgeries and several years later, Lucia now proudly sits alongside the other children in the first grade at her village's elementary school. Her life has changed completely through regaining her sight, as she is now able to live as an independent person and seek opportunities that would never have been available to her in the past. Lucia is one of hundreds of children and adults who Vamos Adelante helped to regain their sight through eye operations.