Improving Maternal-Infant Health for Mayan Women

February is an exciting month for our Family Planning Champions (FPC) project-- this is the time of the year when our FPC team selects ten women to join the program and become equipped with reproductive health knowledge and receive access to subsidized contraception. Once the women complete their trainings, they take what they have learned and lead workshops in their communities, to equip more women.

This year, for the first time, our FPC project has expanded into the municipality of San Lucas Toliman. All ten women, or champions, for 2017 are from rural communities throughout San Lucas. “We are very excited for this expansion and to empower women in new places, but the process of finding the ten champions was difficult,” explains Vilma Mendoza, the FPC Project Manager.

Vilma adds, “We found that initially, many women did not want to participate. Trainings on reproductive health, or even speaking about family planning in public, is still very taboo in some places. There are a lot of myths surrounding sexual health and contraception, so without education, this false information continues to spread”.

When faced with these challenges, the FPC team sought the help of the Office on Women’s Issues in San Lucas. “The Office on Women’s Issues was receptive to the FPC project and believed that education on reproductive health is important in San Lucas. With their help, we found ten champions who are open and excited to learn this year”.

Starting at the end of March, our FPC team will travel to San Lucas every week to lead trainings. Then beginning in May, the champions will begin to lead their own workshops in the communities.