In Chiapas:
Midwife Training Continues.
In late 2009 we started a comprehensive training program for lay midwives from remote regions of Chiapas. Two series are currently underway, involving participants from more than 20 remote and difficult-to-reach communities. These women (and 1 man) have had limited or no exposure to formal health training; yet they attend the births of dozens of babies each year.
In a society where transportation is arduous and women are primarily responsible for child rearing and household maintenance, the fact that 28 individuals have consistently traveled far from their homes once a month to attend 2-day long sessions is a testament to their commitment.
Training topics range from basic anatomy to more complicated techniques such as fetal monitoring and diagnosing potential complications. Discussions have been lively and illuminating. Many midwives did not understand the basics of reproductive health or anatomy. Through culturally-appropriate visuals and activities, little by little, the midwives are learning the medical principles that influence maternal and child health and how to identify and effectively make a referral in dangerous situations.
Key to the success of this program is the training of midwife trainers to impart their skills and knowledge to future groups of participants. Currently, two of the organization’s most active midwives, Estela and Magdalena, have attended every session and practiced presenting portions of modules alongside GPA program coordinator Juan Carlos. We are also working on a standard training manual that can be used as a resource for future trainings in these communities.
Other recent advances include new collaborations with jurisdictional health authorities and a greater recognition of midwifery by local governmental institutions. In one such partnership, midwives were invited to attend a statewide conference on traditional midwifery and given midwife kits and cell phones to enhance their work. Through leveraging governmental contributions such as these, GPA can help a greater number of midwives obtain the equipment necessary to carry out their lifesaving work.
Read about the history of the midwives group in our archives (Winter 2008, Spring 2009).
In Guatemala:
This year, we have awarded 2 grants to the Guatemalan organization Pro-Agua to provide safe drinking water for displaced populations.
One of these grants will be used to complete a project in the impoverished community of Vista Hermosa. The community had already dug a well and purchased pumping and disinfecting equipment.
The GPA grant will provide the electricity needed to pump the well water to public faucets for use by the community’s 1,478 members – half of whom are children. Moreover, it will make possible the opening of the region’s only Health Station, which needs a reliable source of clean water to operate.
Over time, with effective resource management by the community, they will be able to connect individual households to the water system and further improve their living conditions.
The second grant is for the village of Jalapa and its 2,777 inhabitants. The project will channel spring water from the outskirts of the village to a central location within the community. Until now, the community's women have needed to laboriously transport water from remote areas to store in their homes, usually under sub-optimal sanitation conditions, leading to high rates of diarrheal and other diseases among children. This project will ensure a constant flow of clean water to the village and help leaders establish a fiscal management plan to maintain the system.
Check back for more updates on these and other GPA projects in Guatemala!
Read more about the history of our work in Guatemala, Ecuador, y Mexico.