GlobeMed at the University of Rochester

Who We Are // GlobeMed at the University of Rochester

GlobeMed at the University of Rochester began by garnering interest in fellow students passionate about social justice and global health equity in the Fall of 2010. Interest in forming a strong relationship with a grassroots partner organization, and advancing the growth of global health knowledge in the Rochester and partner community, sparked a growth in membership as the year progressed.

Our partnership with Kallpa Iquitos was established the same fall, and became increasingly more meaningful as different members of the group were able to Skype and contact Zully, the community health director at the organization, thereby strengthening the Kallpa-Rochester bond.

The Chapter was officially put on preliminary recognition status in April 2011, and is now SA recognized. With 40 chapter members, over $5,000 raised for Kallpa, and 2 remarkable interns learning about the impact of community cohesion and education through a GROW trip to Iquitos in our first year, we cannot wait to see what next year will bring.

Our Partner // Kallpa Iquitos in Iquitos, Peru

Associación Kallpa in Iquitos is part of the larger Associación Kallpa organization whose overall mission is to create healthy communities through “partnership, democracy, respect and creativity”. Initially focusing their work in schools with youth health promoters, in 2005, Kallpa adopted the idea of “healthy communities” as their central focus.

Kallpa in Iquitos fully embodies the idea of working together as a community to fight health injustices and build a more equitable environment in the Iquitos area. They aim to achieve this goal by focusing on developing the "youth as protagonists" program, empowering youth leaders to improve their communities.

Currently, Kallpa's Youth Promoters are working with the older members of the community to create projects surrounding themes of sanitation, sexual and reproductive health, violence and drug abuse, and environmental health within their barrio. Together with the older members of the community and Kallpa, they develop their ideas into practical projects that tangibly impact the well-being of their community.

Our Project // $4860 for violence prevention and waste management

Our project this year focuses on the prevention and regulation of violent and unlawful acts in the area of Pampachica during the summer months. Kallpa Iquitos has identified that there is little effort to curb juvenile delinquency, which includes crimes committed by local kids who excessively consume alcohol. Additionally, a problem has arisen among the vendors and their improper sale of food and other services, which has produced a large amount of organic and inorganic solid waste. The project targets, from the dynamic perspective of the youth, the local acts of youth violence and environmental issues of sanitation around the beach area.