Maria Mendoza-Gordillo
Research Assistant- Infectious and Tropical Disease Institute at Healthy Living Initiative - Athens, OH, US
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Athens, Ohio, United States
Healthy Living Initiative
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"How can we achieve the sustainable elimination of Chagas disease in southern Ecuador?" This is the question that researchers at ITDI had been asking themselves for years, trying to combat the deadly, yet neglected disease that affects 7 million individuals each year. In response, the Healthy Living Initiative (HLI) was born in 2009 as an alliance between Ohio University's Center for International Studies (CIS) and the Center for Research on Health in Latin America (CISEAL), a flagship institution of the Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE). Composed of graduate students and faculty members from around the world, the HIL team began comparing research on international sustainable anti-Chagas efforts and conducting field studies in Loja, Ecuador, one of the provinces most affected by Chagas. Working alongside local stakeholders and community members to identify their needs and perspectives, our teams determined that ending the far-reaching effects of Chagas disease depended upon the comprehensive improvement of community access to resources. HLI has established three action lines: Infrastructure, Income Generation, and Health. These three areas are led by multinational, multidisciplinary teams that collaborate to create professional projects designed to improve each area sustainably. Healthy Homes for Healthy Living has emerged as a cornerstone HLI project, developed by experts in global health and development teaching, architecture, psychology, research, and social justice. This project proposes an innovative and transferable infrastructure model that simultaneously supports economic development and eliminates health risks. We believe that its success will lead to the expansion of this strategy to other communities within southern Ecuador and, ultimately, help achieve the effective and sustainable prevention of diseases of poverty while expanding opportunities for all peoples with restricted potential.