The Rockefeller Foundation, the State, and Rural Health in 1930s Colombia

Abstract

This report explores two public health initiatives in Colombia that emerged within the context of hookworm eradication efforts and were later expanded and transformed by local health professionals in collaboration with the Rockefeller Foundation (RF). The first was the publication and circulation of Salud y Sanidad, a public health magazine, while the second focused on the establishment of coordinated health services, including sanitary units and rural health commissions. Drawing on archival records from the Rockefeller Archive Center and Colombian sources, the report traces these initiatives to broader Rockefeller Foundation-sponsored projects related to soil sanitation, latrine construction, rural health campaigns, and the training of sanitary inspectors. These efforts were integral to the Foundation's broader mission of rural health modernization and the establishment of public health frameworks in Colombia. By examining reports and correspondence, the study highlights the crucial role of RF resources, technical expertise, and institutional support in advancing rural health, which became a central element of the Liberal Party's agenda in the 1930s. The alignment of the Rockefeller Foundation's goals with the efforts of Colombian social reformers in the National Department of Hygiene (DNH) helped elevate rural health as a national priority at this time