Why Guatemala? Why now?

Guatemala has a long tradition among indigenous people of home birth in the village communities, attended by comadronas (village midwives). However, when women have specific risk factors that threaten their pregnancies or their very lives, they have few alternatives.  In 2000, PCI (Project Concern International) established Casa Materna (Mother’s House), an integrated maternal and child health program that provides outpatient and inpatient services for women with high-risk pregnancies and their children. Casa Materna’s aim is to reduce the maternal death rate in the area, which has been as much as 80 times higher than in the U.S. due to issues with transportation, economic hardship and lack of access to education and appropriate health care by many of the indigenous people who live there. Casa Materna tries to attain their goal of lowering the maternal death rate by reaching out to the comadronas with culturally appropriate education, information-sharing, and support.

Providence has long a tradition of international outreach, starting in 1856 when Mother Joseph and crew launched an international horseback mission trip from Montreal to the underdeveloped backwaters of Oregon and Washington. In 2012, Providence Health International developed a plan to focus outreach efforts by forming strategic partnerships with organizations in Guatemala. Providence Health International has focused efforts in public health service trips, medical relief, and educational exchanges. Given PCI's presence in Guatemala since 1974, they are an ideal partner in this plan.

Our current trip began as the brainchild of Suzy Happ, RN, who previously worked at Casa Materna. Suzy has a vocation to foster health and well being for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. She worked with Casa Materna in recent years and has dreamed of returning with a medical team since. Our team is going to provide education on handling obstetric emergencies to local doctors in the city and comadronas alike. We will provide training for use of an ultrasound machine that has been donated to Casa Materna by another NGO. We will also provide consults in both Casa Materna and villages nearby, focusing on womens’ and children’s health. Lastly, we have been blessed by the generous donations of our colleagues at PMG Southeast, PMG Milwaukie, and Providence Beginnings, to be able to purchase five NEW beds (to replace old rickety cots) and will be presenting this gift to Casa Materna.