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Sep 11, 2019

"I Gained So Much Knowledge that I Can Now Share with my Community"

At 26, Andrés Guacash Vazques is both a community health promoter working in the indigenous community of Zitin, Chiapas (Mexico), and a recent graduate of GPA’s High School Leadership Program in Guaquitepec, a program he participated in for two years. Andres, who is the only person in his family to study, tells us about the challenges he faced starting primary school as an adult, what he has gained, and his goals for the future. “I didn’t begin studying as a boy, I started wh

May 9, 2019

"I want girls to see that they learn skills and get ahead...."

Meet María García Hernández, one of our outstanding young leaders from the community of Iwiltic, Chiapas who became a GPA intern in 2018. Maria is 20 years old, and speaks Tzeltal and Spanish. She is the 4th child from a family of 9 children, and is the first in her family to finish high school. “Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to study,” explains Mary. “When I was in elementary school, I dreamed about going to high school. But everyone told me it was impossible be

Sep 13, 2018

"In my village, we have a health center but no doctors at night or on weekends. That is why mid

“My name is María del Carmen Álvarez Pérez. I live in the community of Pinabetal, Chiapas and I’m 28 years old. I am not a midwife yet, but I am learning. I began learning from my grandmother until her death. This is the first time I am in a workshop. When GPA offered this course, I wanted to take it to have new experiences and gain more knowledge. There is only one midwife in my community and we need more. That made me realize how important it is that pregnant women have mid

May 2, 2018

"My message to young people is to keep pushing yourself to study"

Meet Kevin Méndez, a 17 year old student leader from the community of Oxinam, in Chalam, Mexico. He is one of 20 students taking a GPA Youth Leadership workshop series in order to help improve the health and well-being of his community. In the Highland Region of Chiapas the maternal mortality rate reaches up to four times the national average due to factors such as poverty, discrimination, inadequate healthcare access, gender inequality, violence and early marriage. Young peo

Apr 20, 2017

“The one day of training that helped me save a baby's life”

Luisa has been a health promoter for 8 years but what really sparks her passion is her work as a midwife. If you had talked to her 5 years ago, she would have said that a woman has to be chosen to be a midwife, a vision comes to her. Luisa’s community suffers from severe health problems, such as hunger, malnutrition, waterborne diseases and respiratory illnesses. Most women have home births, and while stillbirths occur, even more infants die after birth or during the first we

Sep 20, 2016

How Becoming a Health Promoter Changed My Life

Not yet 30, María, learned quickly about her role in life, as a daughter, sister and woman, and about hard work. In the mountainous area of Huixtan, Chiapas, where she lives, villages are far between. This area, nestled in southern Mexico, is surrounded by forested hills and can only be spotted by the kitchen smoke rising above the trees. Her wooden house is difficult to reach. Only one road connects this 18-mile area. Public transportation passes infrequently, so walking is

May 26, 2016

How One Decision Can Change the Lives of So Many

Choabajito is a small village in Guatemala, surrounded by majestic green mountains, hidden from view by the thick clouds that make the space between the hilltops their permanent home. The majority of the villagers here are subsistence farmers. Amelia, who is 35, (pictured center), was born here, like her mother and grandmother. She is a member of the village’s women’s health committee, and received training as a community health worker on providing essential care, at the loca

Apr 7, 2015

The Community Health Assistant, a Critical Link in the Continuum of Care

High in the mountainous region of Simojovel, in the southern state of Chiapas, Mexico, known for its amber mining under rough conditions, life can seem isolated from the more bustling city of San Cristóbal de las Casas, nearly four hours away by car, when it’s not raining. This is where 21-year-old Lesvia, who works as the community health assistant, grew up, in the small village of Chapayal, with a population of 443 people, all of whom speak the Maya language Tzeltal as thei

Dec 12, 2014

Becoming a Midwife: The Story of Doña Soraida

This article was contributed by graduate student researcher Jazmine Garcia Delgadillo. Earlier this year while conducting evaluation work we interviewed women who held a very special role in their communities. Though our main objective was to find out what impact GPA has had in their lives, we learned much about their experiences and histories as traditional midwives in Chiapas. Doña Soraida (left) with GPA Training Program Director Alejandra Alvarez. The following is the sto