Poverty, illness, and malnutrition threaten the lives of expectant mothers and their newborns in indigenous coffee-growing communities of Guatemala. Pueblo a Pueblo helps reduce the threat by offering access to education and vital prenatal and postnatal care for mothers and medical care for their babies from birth to age five, the most vulnerable period of their lives.
Limited access to medical care and education contribute enormously to high mortality rates for mothers and infants in Guatemala. This is especially true in indigenous, coffee farming communities where 80% of women lack access to qualified medical attention. Babies are often born underweight and sickly, suffer early from stunted growth, and are more likely to die in childhood.
This project gives mothers and their children the medical and educational support they need to survive the most vulnerable periods of pregnancy and early childhood. Through a local healthcare provider, mothers receive full pre- and post-natal care and children receive free medical attention from birth until age five. We also provide mothers with access to monthly educational workshops in the local language on issues like nutrition, hygiene, and family planning.
In the project, mothers and their children are provided with a strong foundation to survive and thrive through the most vulnerable periods of their lives. Mortality rates will decrease for mothers and infants, and children will grow up healthy, vaccinated, and well cared for. Mothers will also receive the knowledge they need to make informed choices about their health and the health of their families.
