Community health workers as NGO's community intervention strategy in the border city of Tijuana, Mexico

Background:

In Mexico, interventions by Community Health Promoters (CHP) functioning in NGOs have not been carefully analyzed. A significant vacuum exists in this field, specifically its social incidence and as a link between institutions and communities.

Methods:

A qualitative study was performed in which semistructured interviews were held with health-oriented NGO directors to identify operational structure, volunteers, advocacy, community networking, health services offered, coverage and how they correlate their mission with their intervention areas. Focal group sessions were held with the CHP to identify their motivations.

Results

We found 332 NGOs registered in the city directory, some dedicated to environmental issues, others to social assistance or substance abuse. An estimated 30% of these NGOs are involved in healthcare promotion, but only 10% of these, employ CHP in their community intervention strategies. Our study reflects diverse methodologies used by NGOs in the field of health promotion and the transcendental experience for CHP in their human development. The study also, shows several testimonies given by CHP about how their lives changed through their training and interaction with the community and how the community and NGOs benefit from their work.

Conclusions

The most important contribution of this study consists of providing analytical elements about CHP as agents of social change, their interaction between healthcare organizations and community, and their relevance in the formation of social capital through informal networks that positively influence self-esteem, family relations and community environments.