Project Launch:

Maternal and infant mortality are significant issues in Nicaragua, in part due to the lack of access to basic health education. This project will work with a maternity house, which provides shelter, care, counseling, and education to rural pregnant women, to hold educational workshops focused on nutrition, maternal, prenatal and postnatal care. Additionally, ten area midwives will be trained and mobilized to spread this health outreach in their home communities.

Project Update

With assistance from a local mason, a wood stove was constructed at the maternity house, allowing the women to use it daily to cook nutritious food. Materials have been purchased for the home, including new bedding, bath towels, pillows, bowls, and craft materials, and the community has donated mattresses and new curtains. Since the start of the project, the maternity home supervisor has been busy providing resources and educating pregnant women at the home on essential maternal care services, modern contraceptive methods, nutrition for mother and child, and exclusive breastfeeding.The first midwife training session took place in January, and the next one is scheduled to take place in March. The midwives are preparing to share what they have learned with their own communities in April, allowing them to reach women in remote areas. Within the midwife training group, there are three women, a grandmother, mother, and daughter, from the same family, highlighting the inspiring tale of maternal health advocacy being passed down through generations.

Testimonials

"This project has been a great way to create a more holistic environment at the maternity house for the women. They are not just coming to pass the time before they give birth, they are also there to learn, share with other mothers, and prepare themselves for the next big steps of motherhood." - Mary, Peace Corps Volunteer

"Every pregnant women in my community I treat like they are my daughter. I am happy to be able to bring them information and speak with them to make them better mothers and have healthier children." - Evangelica, Project Participant