DYA Presents Its Community Health Model at the Forum "Building Healthy Communities in Vulnerable Settings"

More than a decade of work in Monte Sinaí: a collective approach to strengthening the right to health in vulnerable communities

On July 14, 2026, the Center for Development and Self-Management (DYA) participated as a guest organization in the Community Health Forum "Building Healthy Communities in Vulnerable Settings," held at the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil (UCSG). During the event, DYA shared the results and lessons learned from more than a decade of community health work in Monte Sinaí, one of Ecuador's most vulnerable urban communities.

The forum brought together representatives from academia, international organizations, public institutions, and civil society to reflect on the challenges and lessons involved in developing community-based health models. The event was organized by the UCSG School of Social Work in partnership with Norwegian Alliance Mission, UNICEF, DYA, FASEME, FUNDAMISC, the University of Guayaquil, CEPAM, the Ministry of Public Health, and the Municipality of Guayaquil's Health and Hygiene Department.

A Community Health Model Built Together with the Community

During the opening keynote, Carmen Vásquez presented DYA's experience in Monte Sinaí, where the organization has spent more than a decade developing a community-based health model grounded in citizen participation, a human rights approach, and close coordination with Ecuador's public health system.

The presentation traced the evolution of this model—from the organization's early response to tuberculosis to comprehensive initiatives focused on maternal and child health, chronic child malnutrition prevention, HIV response, and adolescent health.

One of the central messages of the presentation was that the success of a community health model should not be measured solely by improved health indicators, but by the community's ability to organize, exercise its rights, and become an active leader in promoting and protecting its own health.

One of the key reflections I shared during the forum is that the true impact of a community health model lies not only in improving health indicators, but in strengthening the community's capacity to lead its own development. Community leaders are essential to building stronger public health systems because they generate trust, mobilize local participation, and help ensure that interventions remain sustainable over time.

Carmen Vásquez, Community Health Technical Officer at DYA

Lessons for Strengthening Community Health

DYA's Executive Director, Juan Samaniego, participated in the panel discussion "Lessons Learned and Proposals for Strengthening Community Health," where he highlighted the Monte Sinaí experience as an example of how community participation and collaboration among civil society, government institutions, and international cooperation can generate sustainable responses to complex health challenges.

It is essential that community health networks also address issues related to children's education. Civil society organizations play a key role in promoting collaboration between the health and education sectors at the local level and in advocating for these approaches to be reflected in public policy.

Juan Samaniego, Executive Director of DYA

DYA's Impact in Monte Sinaí

Over more than a decade of sustained work, DYA has achieved:

Recognition for Community-Based Work

As part of the forum, the Norwegian Alliance Mission presented DYA with a recognition award for its commitment and contribution to strengthening community health in Monte Sinaí, highlighting the work carried out alongside communities in recent years. This recognition reaffirms the organization's commitment to the right to health and the comprehensive development of populations in situations of vulnerability.

DYA's participation also showcased the experience built in the territory, consolidating the organization as a reference in community health with the capacity to share good practices and contribute to strengthening policies and intervention models. It also reaffirmed the importance of strengthening dialogue among organizations, academia, and public institutions to continue building sustainable solutions from the territories.

At DYA we believe that every territory has knowledge, capacities, and solutions. Our role is to listen, learn, and build together with communities responses that improve their well-being and strengthen their development.