Thanks to a sleek new passenger van to be operated in partnership by two of lakeside’s leading non-profit social service organizations, needy families residing in low-income neighborhoods and the area’s most isolated villages will soon enjoy greater access to vital health care services and education programs aimed at improving their quality of life.
The 2014 model Ford Transit large capacity wagon gifted by anonymous donors has been put into capable the hands of Moonyeen King, president of Tepehua Centro Comunitario (TCC), and Sylvia Flores, founding director of Centro de Desarrollo Jocotepec (Cedejo), to develop programs wrapped together under the umbrella of the Health Outreach for Women and Community Assistance Foundation.
The new vehicle will be used primarily as wheels for women and children who require attention at local or distant health facilities, but cannot afford the bus fare or are too ill to travel on public transportation. It will also facilitate taking the free clinic services offered by TCC and Cedejo from their home bases to the doorsteps of underprivileged and home-bound patients. These programs include dental care, disease prevention and prenatal and postal natal care for women prone to high risk pregnancies and high rates of infant mortality.
In addition, the van will allow the organizations to promote education on contraception and family planning, prevention of HIV-AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, self-sufficiency and other public health and social issues. It will also be available for use by other non-profit groups that pursue similar aims and require a mode of transport for medical patients among their beneficiaries.
The van is currently being kitted out with appropriate gear such as a portable gurney and child-size seat belts, to be ready for launch on the road in about two months. For the time being it is stationed at the Tepehua Center while feelers are out for a more secure parking place. Supporters are also needed to contribute to maintenance and operational costs.
For further information or pledges to help sustain this program, interested persons are urged to contact King at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..