Nearly a year ago Elena Ixcot, a Mayan refugee living in
Vermont for the past 16 years, invited me to travel with her
to her hometown, Concepcion Chirquirchapa, to meet with a
community of midwives. The town is located in the Mam
speaking area of the Western Highlands near Quetzaltenango.
Conveying energy and hope, the midwives told me how they had
organized to become more educated, to gain political
strength, and to train young midwives to carry on the Maya
birth traditions and knowledge of the use of herbs. In
addition to attending most women at home they have a small
clinic for women's health and a birth center for women who
cannot be at home. The area is desperately poor; resources
are quite limited.
Out of the deeply personal and moving exchanges in August
and again in January grew a project to create some kind of
partnership between the co-madronas of the Man area and
midwives from the United States. The "partners" project
paired 15 midwives from Guatemala with 15 midwives in the
States to obtain birth kits and supplies, which were
delivered in March. I have received the names of seven more
midwives who need partners. In addition, the project is
fundraising for a midwifery education and birth center that
would be a resource for the whole area and where traditional
herbs would be grown and knowledge of their use passed on.
Having their own center would help them preserve their
autonomy and traditional ways that are threatened, and help
them improve their skills and gain the same respect from the
government that is accorded them among their people. $14,000
has been raised toward the goal of $20,000 for land and a
building. Part of the ongoing project is to have midwives
from the United States participate in educational exchanges
with the local midwives.
If anyone is interested in being involved in this project
through partnering, financial support or material aid,
contact me, Judy Luce, CPM, at MidwifeOne@aol.com or
802-476-7056. Donations through the International Mayan
League are tax-deductible.
Reprinted from Midwifery Today E-News (Vol 2 Issue 30 July 26, 2000)
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