Midwives are extremely important during births in the rural area of San Juan Chamelco in Guatemala.  They are highly respected and appreciated not only by women, but by community leaders as well. Maternity services offered by the Ministry of Health in Guatemala are often very far from rural communities. Therefore, 60% of women rely on midwives for safe deliveries.

The duties of a midwife require dedicated training, and thanks to you, Mrs. Dominga Cugua has been able to become the newest midwife in her community of Seaquibha.  Community leaders selected Dominga for the scholarship, and she proved to be a hard working student who has now garnered significant responsibility in the area.

Dominga, who lives with her husband and children, has now attended to five pregnant women and three births in the community.  Thank you for your generous and important donation!

Victor is a 36-year-old health promoter who lives in the village of San Miguel in rural Guatemala. San Miguel is a beautiful village, where people live in humble homes with green mountains surrounding this beautiful countryside.

Victor lives with his wife Angelina and their four children. Victor’s story is inspiring, considering that with difficulty he finished elementary school and could not continue with high school education, due to extreme poverty, but he had a fighting spirit and desire to succeed.  He took the responsibility of being guardian of Health in his community. 
Thanks to the support of Medical Teams and other institutions who have helped Victor as a promoter of health, he says: “I attended all the trainings of health, because every day I learn more, to better serve people in rural communities for I have seen much poverty and much sickness. Since Medical Teams Guatemala has been in the village, there has been notable success, as children do not get as sick from diarrhea and little by little parents are understanding the benefits of good hygiene to keep the community in good health”.
Victor says that Medical Teams has also helped build a convergence center in the community which provides everyone a comfortable and hygienic space where mothers and their children can attend medical appointments.
Victor says that thanks to God and all the people who have helped us, little by little we are meeting our basic needs.  Thank you all so much for helping support Victor in his mission to bring better health to his community!

60% of births in ​​the municipality of San Juan Chamelco in rural Guatemala are attended by midwives. Midwives are extremely important in this region as they can attend births that hospitals can’t.

Your generous donations have supported the continued education of Manuel and his wife Domingo, who have been serving their community of Shamil for thirty three years. Manuel first started working in health at the age of 20. In 1978, he and his wife took their first course to become midwives. Over the years, Manuel and his wife have attended over 400 births.

It is crucial that people in Manuel’s position have access to continued education to provide the highest quality care. Thanks to your donation, Manuel and Domingo will be able to continue saving the lives of mothers and their children!

Mrs. Albina, a 61 year old woman, lives in the community of Shamil in rural Guatemala. Shamil is a big community surrounded by many other small communities that converge on it. Throughout the years Mrs. Albina has earned the trust and affection of the local people, because she has helped many women in the region as a midwife.

Currently the Medical Teams International staff is training midwives in the region, and Mrs. Albina has been one of the most constant and interested in updating her knowledge. “I thank God and MTI for inviting all midwives in the community, so we can update our knowledge and improve the services we provide to women before, during and after delivery.”

At the time of speaking with Mrs. Albina, she was attending and advising her patient, Mrs. Herlinda (pictured). She is 20 years old and this is her first pregmancy. Based on her training, Mrs. Albina provides encouragement, and reviews the necessary vaccines and family emergency plan.

“I like coming to see Albina because she serves me very well, has lot of experience and gives me confidence,” said Mrs Herlinda.

Thank you all for your generous donations which have provided a year of continued training for Mrs. Albina!

Angelina is 27 years old and lives in the village of San Marcos Chamil in rural Guatemala. Her story is similar to the stories of many other women in the communities where Medical Teams Guatemala works.

After completing just two years of school, Angelina was married by the age of 15. She has three sons (Lydia, 10 years, Jaime, 7 years and Fermin, 4 years). A few years ago her husband left her, and all of a sudden, she had to work hard to cover the basic needs of her family. She currently supports her family by selling herbs and vegetables.

Angelina says she sometimes has to walk up to five kilometers to neighbouring communities to buy products she can sell at the market. These trips earn her about $5, and she does them about twice a week. Angelica says “I want to give good education to my three sons, because maybe they help me financially later.”

In addition to worrying about their children, Angelina also cares about the residents of their community. She serves as a Health Volunteer, and she is currently being trained by Medical Teams to prevent maternal and child deaths in her community.

A few weeks ago Angelina activated the village’s Emergency Plan, because one of her neighbors had complications in her pregnancy.

Angelina was able to immediately coordinate action at the community level, called an ambulance and referred it to the regional hospital. That same night Victoria had her baby by caesarean, and is very grateful to the people who helped her.

After this experience, Angelina is feeling very motivated to continue in her role as a Health Volunteer, and looks forward to the continued training provided by your donations!