Who We Are // GlobeMed at UT-Austin

Founded in 2010, GlobeMed at The University of Texas at Austin is one of 50 university-based chapters working to improve the health of the impoverished around the globe. Our specific chapter is partnered with Clinica Ana Manganaro (CAM) in Guarjila, El Salvador. Last year, we surpassed our goal and were able to raise over $11,500 to support the expansion of CAM’s El Chalet, a food cooperative that will play a multifaceted role in the community. This year we hope to raise $15,000 to fund the construction of a health library, serving as a resource for health professionals and increasing public health awareness within the community.

Our partner // Clinica Ana Manganaro

Health is a fundamental human right. Clinica Ana Manganaro (CAM) is a champion of this cause, working daily to provide holistic health care to its community and surrounding area. While the current climate of health policy in El Salvador is shifting for the better, Clinica Ana Manganaro has always functioned for the cause even in the midst of the violent twelve year civil war that gripped the country. Such strong resolve to provide health, even in the most difficult situations, is a mission that Clinica Ana Manganaro hopes to spread by providing a wide range of services including: primary health care, physical therapy, educational outreach, and water sanitation projects. By implementing many different health initiatives in the community of Guarjila, the clinic works to ensure healthy living practices, promote environmental health, and help provide clean water.

Our project // $15,000 to build a community health library

This year, we are partnering with Clinica Ana Manganaro to build a community health library adjacent to the clinic. Even in Guarjila, building a new building is expensive, but we believe that this investment is truly that, an investment into the future of the community. Public health education is an area that needs improvement in El Salvador, and through this outlet, we hope to help empower the residents to be able to make healthy behavioral choices for themselves. Building a library is not as "glamorous" as raising money for HIV treatments, cancer research, or a new orphanage, but it is important, very important, to develop sustainable healthcare infrastructure that will allow the communities to be self-sufficient in promoting health, preventing disease, and developing their local economies.

For more on the importance of a health library: http://globemedut.org/2012/11/29/why-a-library/