ACAM midwifery training in Chuicutama

Monday June 28

We are staying at the AMA (Asociación de Mujeres del Altiplano) house in Quetzaltenango (referred to as Xela).The house is in an area that allows us to walk around town and explore. We are sleeping dorm room style. This definitely makes for some interesting conversations at bedtime.

Every morning we get up around 6am (5:30 am seems to be the norm in our room)some take showers some don't. We eat a family style breakfast and try to get on the road quickly so we can get back into the city before the rain. We have been unsuccessful thus far. Tropical Depression Alex has been raining down on us since we arrived.
This makes for a precarious ride up the mountain with collective breath holding.

We arrived to a small Mayan village around 10am yesterday We walked what seemed to be about 2 miles up to the center of the village. We convened in the clinic of Chuicutama (a Quiche village). We were joined by midwives and health promoters in training which consisted of all women. Some of these women traveled from villages far up in the mountains for this training. They come down for training every Tuesday which makes sense that they stay for hours since they travel from far away.

After a long introduction since we had to translate from Spanish to Quiche to English, we split up into two training groups, the midwives in training which seemed to consist of the older women and the health promoters which had girls as young as fourteen.

I attended the midwives training where the ACAM midwives (http://www.mayamidwifery-acam-imlusa.org/)are in the process of training the village midwives. Yesterday we focused on how to assess a woman that is unsure if she is pregnant, common first trimester problems and how to treat these issues with plants and herbs found in their communities.

I found it very interesting that the midwives made a comparison between dogs eating grass to soothe their stomachs and how we can also use grass to soothe our stomachs. She meant literally munch on some grass if we have a stomachache.

After the training sessions we met in the clinic again and shared a lunch of fava bean soup and plantains. We decided that we should get on with our trip back to the house in Xela since it was raining.

We started down the mountain and it was quite nerve-wracking. We made it back to the house and ran some errands.....

More later since we have to get going back up to Chuicutama. Today's topic is going to be fetal positions and I am going to share the group prenatal concept and some pregnancy exercises with the women.

Hasta luego!

AMA Association of Highland Women

The Association of Highland Women is a growing network of women's circles in Guatemala that HSP supports from North America. The 120 Mayan women that currently participate are dedicated to improving the lives of the Mayan people, one woman at a time. AMA’s mission is to:
1) Organize women into networks of mutual support that foster transformation, and
2) Help better the lives of women by creating environments of hope and dignity.

AMA works to awaken women’s dormant strengths, adaptability, creativity, responsibility and collaborative abilities. We believe that discovering intrinsic strength results from possessing the freedom to confront individual as well as collective adversity. Each week, AMA organizes educational meetings that focus on a range of topics. Specific examples include basic and communal health, self-esteem, education, small business development and civic participation. The meetings function within an atmosphere of mutual support and group consolidation.

The Association of Highland Women (AMA) in Guatemala, has developed an innovative and pragmatic methodology to counter dependency processes that is replicable, scalable, participatory, and sustainable. The model utilizes small group dynamics and popular education techniques to empower women and girls with the time, confidence, and tools to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities

Website:
Asociación de Mujeres del Altiplano

http://www.amaguate.org/ama_en_index.html

From the US to Lake Atitlan

SATURDAY, June 26:
 Arrive in Guatemala City. Since no visas are necessary, the team will have little to take care of upon our arrival. HSP staff will meet us there with a packed lunch for the team.
 Begin the ascent to the Western Highlands, traveling first to the village of Panajachel. Pana, as it’s commonly known, sits on the shore of Lake Atitlan and has the feel of a small beach town. Lake Atitlan was formed by a volcanic eruption 85,000 years ago and is surrounded by four active volcanoes. Lake Atitlan is the highest lake in the Americas, surrounded by four active volcanoes.
 Check-in to our bungalow-style hotel El Aguacatal
 6:00 pm - Dinner together
 7:00 Team meeting - come together for sharing and information on AMA

Our Program

The work of a midwife in Guatemala is an ancient art form, using philosophies and techniques that are virtually unknown in Western medicine. Her practices are founded on the belief that we must achieve and maintain a balance between humans and the environment. In the highlands of Guatemala, midwives are often the only health care providers for many miles in isolated, rural communities. They are eager for more knowledge of medicine and the opportunity to develop their abilities in order to improve the quality of care given to their patients.

This trip will be an opportunity for health professionals, social workers and interested others, from the US to visit Quetzaltenango, Guatemala to participate in a week long exchange with a group of Guatemalan midwives and village leaders.

Hosted by the Highland Support Project, Partners in Service Program, and the VCU Institute for Women's Health