Project Launch: 2-18-16

In 2014, the Ciudad Antigua Health Center built a maternity home to provide expectant mothers from the surrounding rural communities with a safe space in the days and weeks before childbirth. The home offers daily health checkups, nutritious meals, and educational programming. This project will train 28 volunteer community health workers to be in charge of managing and expanding the daily operations and activities at the maternity home.

Project Update: 5/11/16

17 women from 11 different communities participated in a two day training, which focused on maternal health, breastfeeding, nutrition and newborn health. Since many of the participants are illiterate, the women were trained in non-formal education techniques and provided with resources to replicate the health workshops in their own communities. The newly-trained community health volunteers will play a pivotal role in promoting and advancing maternal health at the community level as some live far away in remote communities with limited access to health services.

Testimonials

"I feel proud after the training, since I now know how to talk with women about their own health and their children's health... As women of the community we now know that the maternity home is meant to serve us, and belongs to us." - Genara, Project Participant

"I liked the training. We learned things that we didn't know before." - Leyla, Project Participant

"Women are more comfortable in the maternity home, and they know more about healthy practices for their children. Having a more educated population as a result of this training, and more capable community health volunteers is excellent." - Ludys, Project Leader