Better Maternal Care for Adolescent Tarahumaras

As we move forward into a new year, we would like to take a moment to reflect on all that was accomplished over the past 12 months.

In 2013, a total of 390 Community Health Volunteers and 365 Health Providers were trained. An additional 200 health workers participated in trainings on Multiculturalism and Humanization of Obstetric Care, and the first symposium on the same topic offered in the state of Chihuahua.

In other news, One Heart World-Wide worked with our local government partners to provide food incentives to all Community Health Volunteers. This allows us to offer thanks and compensation to our volunteers and increases the sustainability of our model. Volunteers are able to provide for their families in exchange for their time and dedication, which both increases volunteers ability to continue to work with us and improves the health of their families and communities.

Another huge milestone for our programs in 2013 was the approval of the use of Misoprostol in the communities of the Sierra Tarahumara. One Heart World-Wide has been incorporating Misoprostol into our programs as an effective means of postpartum hemorrhage prevention and management in Tibet and Nepal. However, due to regulations regarding Misoprostol in Mexico, it has not been available for use outside of larger hospitals until recently. Through advocating for its use in rural areas, One Heart was able to work with the state government to allow Community Health Workers to use the life-saving drug to manage postpartum hemorrhage. Misoprostol is ideal for use in remote locations as it can be administered in a pill form and does not require refrigeration such as similar injectable drugs that are commonly used for postpartum hemorrhage management. One Heart is excited that Community Health Workers will now also be able to administer the drug when necessary, and will continue to work with the goverment manage its use. The expanded reach of Misoprostol will help prevent many women from dying in childbirth, as postpartum hemorrhage is the most common cause of maternal deaths in the region. This development shows the strong collaboration that exists between OHW and the state government, and the shared goal to eradicate maternal deaths in the Copper Canyon.

We also wanted to share an anecdote from last year that we found particularly inspiring:

Ángel and Feliciana are One Heart Mexico volunteers. We spoke with Ángel recently and he confessed to us that when his wife, Feliciana, first began volunteering with One Heart, he did not believe in the program. Some months later, as he saw the positive changes that his wife’s commitment was brining to the community, Ángel changed his mind and decided that he, too, wanted to get involved. He was familiar with the small center where his wife and other volunteers held their meetings and gave talks. The small cement room did not have a roof and activities were often cancelled due to rain, strong winds, and other extreme climate conditions common to the canyons. Weather rendered many volunteer activities impossible in the winter months. Wanting to help, Ángel took three weeks of his time to build a roof and reconstruct the community center. Today the center is bigger and better. Volunteers gather there often for meetings and to host health education talks on Sundays. The small building has become an important center of active and ongoing community participation. Ángel now feels very proud to be helping the women in his town and finally feels empowered to make a difference in his community. He has also become a community volunteer, making community visits to deliver clean birth kits and safe motherhood messages to help ensure healthier outcomes for pregnant women and newborns in the Sierras.

We are very excited about our accomplishments in 2013 and we are looking forward to many more successes in the year ahead. Thank you for your continued support and your part in making our work possible.

Thanks!

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Late Summer and Fall have been marked by a series of trainings in Guachochi, Chihuahua.

In August, we held five training sessions for volunteers from the municipalities of Guachochi and Batopilas in partnership with the Servicios de Salud (SES, State Health Services) and Desarrollo Integral de la Famila (DIF, government entity for Family Development). Volunteer trainings cover a variety of topics, including the Network of Safety model, healthy pregnancies, prenatal care and its importance, newborn care, how to identify warning signs and possible complications during pregnancy, delivery, and puerperium and how to handle them, developing delivery and evacuation plans, use of volunteer equipment and materials, community outreach, and data collection.

All 250 participating Foot Soldiers of Change (volunteer outreach providers) were provided with materials and equipment to help pregnant women in their communities. Their volunteer backpacks include items such as thermometers, blood pressure cuffs and headlamps to monitor the women's progress, as well as flip charts that help volunteers to recognize warning signs and guide them through actions to take when certain situations arise.

In September, alongside the SES, we held a training for 40 doctors and nurses from Guachochi and Batopilas. The providers were trained in ultrasound use, emergency obstetrics, and intercultural sensitivity. They also participated in a workshop on vertical delivery, as this is a delivery option that is seldom used in delivery facilities, but is often preferred by Tarahumara women. Helping providers to better understand equipment designed for vertical delivery and discussing the importance of giving this delivery position as an option may encourage more Tarahumara women to have facility-based deliveries

This month, the SES will be hosting a Multiculturalism and Humanization of Obstetric Care Symposium in Chihuahua. While the Symposium has previously been taught on a national level, this will be the first of its kind within the state of Chihuahua. Providers across all levels (including One Heart Mexico volunteers) from all over the Copper Canyon have been selected to attend and act as representatives who will then go back and share with their teams in their units. 

One Heart is happy to have played a role in bringing this symposium to the state by helping to organize workshops earlier this year on intercultural sensitivity - a training package that we now include in all of our health providers trainings. Currently, the state health department is working with One Heart and other key stakeholders to promote such trainings for providers as part of their strategy to reduce maternal mortality.

Thanks for all of your support! Don't forget to take advantage of the GlobalGiving Bonus Day on October 23rd! Starting at 9:00am Eastern your donation with be match with an extra 30%!!  

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