A Woman Helping the Women in her Community

Dominga Xol Pop is a midwife and resident of Chamil in Guatemala. The work of midwifes in rural areas requires much compromise and responsibility. The midwives in training invest much patience and love into the attendance at births. In Guatemala, the practice of midwifery is passed down from generation to generation. This is the case for Dominga Xol Pop who is 46 years old. She is from the area San Juan Chamelco and currently lives with her husband Manuel Caal and their four children.

The first time she attend a birth was in 1987. It was a great experience for her and there were no complications. At that time, she had little knowledge of midwifery. Now she has attended about 300 births. She said, “I got involved with the training of Medical Teams International for the first time in late 2010, through an invitation from MTI to all midwives in the region. At that time we explained about the objectives of the institution, and told us they wanted to train us.”

She says she has noticed a big difference since she began to receive training with field technicians from MTI, “I have gained much knowledge and I thank the institution for the training it has given us at no cost, “says Dominga.

She says it has improved her skills as a midwife and she has been exposed to every experience that a midwife might encounter. The benefit of the training extends to the pregnant women she has served in several villages near her community. Thank you Mark, Lynn, David, Tracy, and Microsoft for the year of midwife training for Dominga. It is an invaluable resource for the women in Chamil and the surrounding communities!