Project profile — Improved Health of Communities, Women, and Children Through Elimination of Trachoma in the Americas

• Brazil (12.50%)
• El Salvador (9.50%)
• Guatemala (12.50%)
• Ecuador (9.50%)
• Bolivia (9.50%)
• Venezuela (9.50%)
• Peru (12.50%)
• Mexico (2.50%)
• Colombia (12.50%)
• Haiti (9.50%)

• Health policy and administrative management:
Health policy and administrative management (12110) (25.00%)
Medical education/training (12181) (10.00%)
• Infectious disease control:
Infectious disease control (12250) (50.00%)
Health personnel development (12281) (15.00%)

• Gender equality (significant objective)
• Participatory development and good governance (significant objective)
• Urban issues (significant objective)
• Children's issues (significant objective)
• Indigenous Issues (significant objective)

This project aims to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem in 10 countries in the Americas. This project seeks to increase access to and demand for SAFE Strategy interventions for populations living in vulnerable conditions, including women, children, and Indigenous populations. SAFE is the evidence-based recommended strategy to eliminate trachoma as a public health problem. It is an integrated package of interventions, including surgery to avoid impairment, antibiotics to reduce infection, facial cleanliness to prevent infection, and environmental improvement to reduce transmission. The project also aims to promote the strengthening of community participation by increasing opportunities and spaces for women's empowerment and decision-making power to improve the health and well-being of women, children, and Indigenous communities. Project activities include: (1) carrying out a baseline analysis of gender dynamics and barriers in health services to eliminate trachoma, especially the SAFE interventions; (2) strengthening information systems to collect, analyze, and use disaggregated data by age, sex, place of residence, and ethnicity; (3) strengthening the capacity of local health workers and women's groups to provide integrated services; (4) stimulating and facilitating cross-cultural dialogues with local actors, communities, and women to participate in transforming local health systems; and (5) generating communication and messages adapted to gender and ethnicity contexts in the project beneficiary populations.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased access to recommended SAFE interventions for populations living in vulnerable conditions, including women, children, hard-to-reach, and Indigenous populations; and (2) increased demand and coverage for SAFE interventions by populations living in vulnerable conditions, including women, children, hard-to-reach, and Indigenous populations.

Results achieved as of March 2024 include: (1) trained 11 surgeons from Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico to perform trachoma surgery; (2) trained 31 health workers from Bolivia, Guatemala, and Honduras to recognize chronic forms of trachoma; (3) carried out integrated health brigades to provide a wide range of services to 546 people (343 women and 203 men) in Bolivia. These services include dental care, gynecology, pediatrics, telehealth, immunizations, and general medicine; and (4) interviewed 85 individuals (50 women and 35 men) through intercultural dialogue sessions facilitated by 30 trained facilitators (20 women and 10 men) from Indigenous populations. This aims to learn about the factors affecting community acceptance of the SAFE strategy.

• Proactive disclosure