Community environmental health assessment in Peru's desert hills and rainforest

Peru's expanding population and rapid urbanization-a result of migration to its largest cities-have stressed the country's public services infrastruct ure and the provision of public health and environmental health services. I n response, the Ministry of Health established the General Directorate of E nvironmental Health (DIGESA), the branch charged with assuring adequate env ironmental health services to populations in rural and urban areas. The mag nitude of the environmental health problems in peri-urban settlements, howe ver, has exceeded the capacity of DIGESA to respond. The Urban Environmenta l Health Project is an effort to develop the ability of local communities t o address these problems.