New Video About our Midwifery Program
"Midwives not only improve the chance of a safe pregnancy and delivery, but also provide the full continuum of care throughout a woman’s life."
-Isabella Lövin, Sweden's minister of international development cooperation
The International Day of the Midwife on May 5th received major media recognition in TIME magazine, discussing midwifery and its importance in public and women’s health. We’re so happy to see such an important but often marginalized role getting major attention. As awareness increases, we invite those of you who are interested to watch this short clip about the midwifery students in Guatemala that HSP sponsors to achieve an accredited certification after a two-year course.
https://vimeo.com/181538116
The role of the midwife in Maya society has traditionally been revered as the seat of the community and the ultimate source of healing and spiritual knowledge. The Maya K'iche word for midwife is translated to be "Comadre" or "Co-mother," meaning that the midwife is seen as the community's collective mother. Midwives are also general practitioners, attending to pre and post-natal care for mothers but also prevention and treatment of common illness. Midwives have always helped bring communities together and are especially valuable in current Guatemalan society as they provide a local health service to rural and indigenous women who often do not have the means to travel to or pay for visits to local hospitals.
Learn more about our programming or read personal statements by the students about their passion for becoming midwives
As stated by an article in Deutsche Welle, “Giving birth in a developing nation is not an easy thing. Approximately 287,000 women worldwide die every year due to complications related to pregnancy and childbirth, and 2.9 million newborns die in the first month of life. Most of these often preventable deaths occur in low-income countries and in rural areas, according to the WHO. That's why the World Health Organization continues to support midwives. ‘WHO works with countries to ensure that midwifery issues are addressed in national health strategies and plans,' the organization says on its website. Midwives are 'an essential pillar of the maternal and newborn health care workforce.’”Source
Read more about written about the importance of midwives on the International Day of the Midwife from these sources: TIME and The Guardian
CONTRIBUTE
Are you excited about our midwives? Click here to donate in support of this project to help these students continue their studies, and here to learn about HSP's Holistic Healthcare Programming.
JOIN IN AND TRAVEL
Looking to travel with a midwifery focus? We welcome you to partner with an upcoming program: our Midwifery and Holistic Health Trip this August. No medical skills or experience is required, just a passion for health, women, babies, travel, and the desire to share in a beautiful week! Men and Women welcome- this will be an inclusive, excited group!
The trip is August 6-13, 2016- E-mail Rachel for an application if interested! Rachel@highlandsupportproject.org