Health Education Workshops
According to studies, out of all deaths of women between the ages of 16 and 40 in Latin America, one in five is due to complications during pregnancy or labor. Following their mother’s death, infant sons are twice as likely to die and infant daughters four times as likely.* Even children whose mothers survive childbirth face chronic health problems, such as diarrhea and malnutrition.
In poor regions, where access to state health services is limited, lay midwives and health promoters often provide initial and essential maternal and child health care. We support these important practitioners by offering workshops in pediatric primary care, prenatal care, birth techniques and management, and integration of traditional medicine. We design our curriculum and teaching methods through direct collaboration with workshop participants, who come from various educational, language, and cultural backgrounds.
To empower participants to continue their education, we also provide culturally adapted study materials and other support. All of our efforts are based on partnership with lay health workers so we can better understand their educational needs and honor their traditional practices.
Support for Health Advocacy
Mistrust and discrimination often prevent poor or indigenous people from seeking necessary care at hospitals or health centers. Lay health workers, the primary bridge between communities and state health facilities, must therefore be patient advocates as well as care providers. To increase trust, cooperation, and patient access, we facilitate partnerships between lay health workers and professional medical staff. We also advise and assist lay health workers in developing their own professional networks to share knowledge and increase their capacity as advocates.
Our Results
- Training for more than 80 midwives in Nicaragua and Mexico.
- Advanced training for 15 health promoters in eastern Guatemala.
- Community health workshops and training for 10 health promoters in the Ecuador's Amazon basin.
- Collaboration with the Mexican health department to certify GPA-trained midwives in Chiapas, Mexico.
*World Health Organization, 2001.