Projects

In order to meet the needs of the communities, Pemón Health Inc. addresses several issues through different projects selected by our organization, Pemón leaders, and villagers. Below is a description of the programs we have started in order to meet the goals of our mission to improve the health of the Pemón people.

Malaria

There exists a high correlation between malaria and poverty with malaria-endemic countries having lower rates of economic growth than those unaffected by the parasite. Globally, up to three million people die from malaria each year. This is a disease that has plagued tropical areas throughout the world with 500 million new infections every year. Mosquitoes are the main vectors of malaria transmission, and currently, mosquito nets, anti-malarial pills, and indoor residual insecticide spraying are methods for malaria prevention. Mosquito nets reduce all deaths associated with malaria by more than 20 percent. Of the four types of malaria (Plasmodium falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. vivax), falciparum is the deadliest. In 2003, 16.7 percent of all malaria cases were due to P. falciparum in southern Venezuela.

Malaria causes many severe symptoms that include high fevers, headaches, recurring chills, intense vomiting, and inability to contain food within a two week period of becoming infected. Of the affected population, children have higher mortality rates than those of adults due to their relatively worse immune response to the parasite. Pregnant women have an equivalent risk of infection as children do (even if the women has had malaria in the past) and are at risk for anemia and inhibited fetal growth.

The incidence rate of malaria in southern Venezuela is heavily dependent on ecological factors. In any given year, several individuals will become infected especially if they do not use bed nets or use older, tattered bed nets that do not prevent mosquitoes from entering. At peak periods (in the past two years it has been in the months of March and April), there have been large community-level outbreaks of malaria. For example, at the medical clinic in April 2008, there were entire families who needed immediate medical attention. With sporadic incidence, malaria outbreaks are very hard to predict. In the village of Frijoles, there is an annual malaria outbreak. During 2007, more than fifty individuals out of seventy-four in Savanita became infected. In both Punta Blanca and Itirica, there are always more than a few cases of malaria per month during periods when there is no outbreak.

Summer 2008 research indicates that 23.5 percent of survey respondents’ families in Urimán do not have adequate mosquito net coverage for the entire family. Sixty-four percent of respondents have been infected by malaria at least once. Out of those 64 percent, 55 percent have been infected more than once in their lifetimes. One-third of all 51 respondents have had children who have been infected by malaria.

Mosquito nets prevent the transmission of this infection. Through our Distribution Program, Pemón Health Inc. raises funds to acquire more nets to increase coverage to prevent malaria.

Waste Management

Waste is a significant problem in the villages. With a large influx of goods that are non-biodegradable, the village has become severely polluted. In order to combat problems associated with this, members of Pemón Health Inc. have constructed a waste depository and recycling containers, and collect glass, plastic, and aluminum wastes with village workers. Pemón Health has facilitated agreements between village leaders, recycling businesses, and private airlines for the removal of the wastes. With this partnership in place, profits raised from selling the recyclables are used throughout the year to sustain the program.

Donation Distribution

In order to reduce the incidence of malaria, intestinal parasites, and infections from cuts and scrapes, Pemón Health Inc. distributes donated goods such as clothing and shoes from United States elementary schools to Pemón families in several villages. This program directly addresses health problems related to lack of access to necessary goods through prevention.

Education

Education plays a large role in preventing behavior-based health problems such tobacco usage, alcohol consumption, and pollution. Members of Pemón Health Inc. work directly with the administrators of the local village school in order to conduct health workshops for Pemón children. In the summer of 2008, Pemón Health Inc. summer interns worked with teachers to offer the health education program to more than 200 school children.

Medical Assistance

Since there is only one doctor for thousands of people, summer interns interested in medicine are able to contribute significantly to improve the process of healing for patients. Pemón Health Inc. offers students interested in medicine an opportunity to directly assist the village doctor with medical examinations, emergencies, and vaccinations. This is an exceptional experience which will allow interns to learn about tropical medicine, patient treatment, and general public health issues that affect the Pemón people. Interns will have the opportunity to travel from village to village and assist the doctor with medical treatments.

Agriculture

Malnutrition is widespread among villagers. The average male is below five feet tall, and the doctor treats many infants who are undernourished. Pemón Health Inc. will help start a centralized agricultural program, which will provide nutritious diets for school children, offer opportunities for employment, and decrease general food prices in the region.

Research

In an effort to understand how our organization can be more effective with our programs and in order to improve community relations and communication with Pemón Health Inc., each summer, members conduct thorough surveys to gather information regarding family health issues. During the summer of 2008, fifty-one hour-long surveys were conducted in the main Pemón village of Urimán. Researchers randomly selected respondents, and in order to ensure gender-balance, they alternated between genders in selecting respondents. The age range for the interviewees was between fourteen to seventy-six years. Only one individual refused to be interviewed. Twenty-five females and twenty-six males were interviewed. Each individual provided answers on behalf of his or her own family, which accounted for 377 people. This represents more than seventy five percent of the total population of Urimán. Therefore, the survey data is representative of the Pemón villagers living in Urimán. The survey allowed researchers to better determine the needs of the village and to decide what steps Pemón Health Inc. should take to improve health outcomes in the Pemón region. The research serves to provide more quantitative information about the Pemón families of Urimán. Researchers were able to determine educational levels and general health issues that affect the community.

Brief Summary of Summer 2008 Research

	Category	All	Women	Men
Birth	Number of children per household	4.2
	Percentage of wives who had stillbirths	18.1
Education	Average grade level obtained	7.4	6.4	8.4
	Percentage of respondents age 20 and above who completed high school	32.5	26.3	38.1
	Percentage of families who do not send their children to school	6.1
Food	Percentage of respondents who are completely full after each meal84.3	76	92.3
	Percentage of respondents who are still hungry after a meal	15.7	24	7.7
	Percentages of households who frequently eat only carbohydrate based meals	29.4
Malaria	Percentage of complete mosquito net usage in households	76.5
	Percentage of households with children infected by malaria at least once	33.3
	Percentage of respondents infected by malaria once or more	64.7
	Percentage of respondents infected by malaria more than once	35.3