One of the hallmarks of Curamericas’ work is our ability to help combine specialized expertise and programming with a more person- and community- centered approach. Working hand-in-hand with local partners, Curamericas has helped over 350,000 people in countries across the globe since 1983. Our nearly 30 years of service is testimony to the great work we are accomplishing. |
Our Work
One of the most threatening events in the life of a Mayan woman in Guatemala is becoming pregnant. The indigenous Chuj women of San Sebastián Coatán in the northwest highlands suffer from extreme maternal mortality, with a rate of 584 deaths per 100,000 live births—more than three times the national average; the region is locally known as “The Triangle of Death.” This devastating mortality rate combined with their high fertility rates means that women in this rural area face a 1-in-20 lifetime chance of dying in childbirth. Deliveries customarily take place in the mothers’ dirt-floored homes, a non-sanitary environment that leaves mothers and infants vulnerable. The infant mortality rate in the area is 43 deaths per 1,000 births—the third highest rate in Latin America, and over half of these deaths occur during the first month of life. At the root of this high mortality is a lack of access to adequate health care to prevent needless loss of life. In order to decrease this region’s unacceptably high maternal and neonatal mortality rates, we must increase knowledge and skills of local community health personnel in proper maternal and neonatal care, and ensure translation of this knowledge into changed practices. Hence, the keystone of our project is the training of health personnel based out of the Casa Materna, a centrally located Birthing Center in the San Sebastián Coatán municipality and operated by our indigenous partner organization, Curamericas-Guatemala. The Casa Materna service area consists of 40 remote villages and is comprised of 22,316 indigenous Maya residents, including approximately 514 newborns and 6,911 women of reproductive age. The Casa Materna provides a safe and comfortable place for women to give birth as well as receive reproductive health services and education since access to a clinic or hospital is dangerously limited. Our strategy builds upon our previous work in the project area. Since 2002, we have worked with Curamericas-Guatemala to implement a successful community-based project focusing on under-five children, reducing their mortality by 54% with interventions for diarrhea, pneumonia, and nutrition. Our continued efforts will ensure that evidence-based, culturally-appropriate, sustainable methods reach this neglected population to prevent the needless loss of life of Guatemalan Mayan women and infants. For more information about our work in Guatemala, please contact Erin Pfeiffer, Program Manager, toll-free at (877) 510-4787 or via email at erin@curamericas.org. |
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