Foundation Soros Guatemala pre-qualifies Project "Mujeres de Luz"
Guatemala City, October 5, 2005
In June of 2005 the Guatemalan Soros Foundation received a proposal byGEMA.The three year proposal was prepared to facilitate the organization and professionalization of 400 midwives in the highlands of Guatemala. In October, the proposal received the yellow light fromFundacion Soros Guatemala!... Its has been pre-qualified and seeks final approval during Soros first project cycle of 2006.
The coordinator of its Technical Team, Carlos Gomez, was the one in charge to received GEMA board members to present a brief of the project “Mujeres de Luz” (Women of Light) at the Soros office in Guatemala City. GEMA participants expalained then, that the scope of the work is to aim the full participation of the midwives not just in their midwifery training, but in their organization. The project design includes, in one hand, the work of a social team and in the other, the work of a technical team. Both areas are to be develop in a consisting and energetic way to provide the specific tools for the midwives to advance their profession and their political influence. Leadership and empowerment are key goals of GEMA, and thus presented for implementation as a result of the project proposed to Soros. The project design requires a period of three years to implement local grass root organizations, that will lead to a regional level, to then form a national organization with the activerepresentation of the forming midwifery community. As a result of cultural impositions and top-down national health politics, the Maya communities have no access to decision making. For the poor, health care is provided by the government through a system of health posts at village level and public hospitals in the major cities, through the rural areas. Midwives attend 80% of the birth in rural Guatemala. The farther the village, the less service is provided by the national system. Midwives are part of an ancient core of health providers among healers, priests and priestess, massage therapist of different specialties andherbalist. This type of health service is found at a local, community level. As a result of the European invasion and the subsequent slavery like social and economics system, Maya Culture was, has been and still is severely damage. Some researches call it “in a state of continual attack”. One way or the other, through impoverishment or open violence, the ruling class has found ways to stop this great culture from advancing. Time has proven that courage, deep evolvement at the communal level, isolation and strong family tradition have been key factors to preserve enough of it, so that it is still standing. Maya Culture and its people have reached the same number of inhabitants they had when Spaniards “discover” America, (the continent), close to 8 million, which is over 65% of Guatemalan population; now they have a sufficient number of families that have economical means to acquire information, send their children to schools, travel, have a part in the global market; there is a growing leadership and many Maya grass roots organizations have been form since the singing of the Peace Accords in 1996. Some researches call it a renaissance for the Maya. Midwives are standing among the leadership of the Maya, even if working in loneliness, silence and poverty. They still provide hope and a kind start to Maya babies and their Moms. Their work needs not to be taken for granted, surely have the opportunity to access totechnical tools and some sort of certification process. To the traditional knowledge of midwifery, there has been much loss and confusion when faced with western style health services given by the a Ministry of Health with no ethnic sensibility and very little resources. As a result of “Mujeres de Luz”, midwifery will be revalued and the leadership of midwives will be strengthen to be able to advocate and have a voice.