Project Title: Association of Midwives of the Mam Speaking Area Mobile Clinics

Location: Guatemala

Grant Amount: $50,000

Grantee Website: www.mayamidwifery.org/

Areas of Impact: Education & Literacy, Environmental Sustainability & Climate Action, Gender Equality, Health

Mission of Maya Midwifery International
The mission of Maya Midwifery International is to improve maternal child health outcomes by helping to prepare and sustain local midwives in their communities and helping them to have a voice in local and national policies which affect them.

Summary
This project will provide access to critical reproductive, maternal, and newborn healthcare services and birth education in four hard-to-reach communities in Guatemala.

Why We Love This
This project provides vital lifesaving mobile clinics to address reproductive health care screening and referral for domestic and sexual abuse in remote Guatemalan communities. Indigenous midwives are highly trained and respected, and speak the local Maya Mam language. These critical services - in areas where government-sponsored health care systems are weak - have been very successful in producing impressive health outcomes.

Maya Midwifery is successful because they listen to local midwives and community members to address issues beyond training and service delivery. This has allowed them to tackle challenges in a holistic way that considers economic and community empowerment, cultural respect and support, and educational attainment along with health care delivery.