Walking the walk to deliver women's health care to rural artisan communities

Take a journey with Marisol Morales, social programs coordinator, and Vilma, a nurse and educator with Wuqu' Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance, on a day in the field to deliver a women's health workshop in the artisan community of Chirijquiac. 

Social programs coordinator Marisol (left) and three weavers from Chirijquiac with their certificates after completing the women's health education series

Today's destination: Chirijquiac

Traveling to Chirijquiac means rising at 4:00 am to catch the bus that passes through San Juan la Laguna, where I live, at 5:00 am. After two and a half hours climbing winding roads through the mountains, we arrive at 7:30 am at the bus terminal in the city of Xela. I buy a snack to take with me, before catching the next bus at 8:00 am toward the community. 

Another hour later, I get off the bus in a wide valley of cornfields and walk 15 minutes to the home of the Chirijquiac weaving group's leader. There, the group is gathered for the workshop. 

Vilma, a nurse and part of the field team at our partner Wuqu' Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance, ready to begin the workshop

Living our values, breaking taboos

To start the workshop, the group leader offers words of welcome and another compañera leads a prayer, asking that the day bring new knowledge to every person. 

The nurse begins by reviewing the group's values: respect, communication, punctuality, confidentiality, teamwork, participation,and fellowship. The group collectively adopted these values to ensure a safe, respectful, and organized learning environment. 

Every workshop includes participatory exercises and games, which create a dynamic learning environment. At the end of a workshop, each woman reflects on one thing that she learned. Some share anecdotes from their childhood, sparked by the day's topic. 

The Chirijquiac group is made up of mostly older women, and hearing their stories about their childhood and adolescence brings up feelings of sadness for me. Many women tell me that they never learned about puberty, about menstruation, about pregnancy, and certainly never about reproductive rights. They grew up during a time when speaking of the changes in their bodies was seen as a sin.

Even today it can be taboo to speak of sexual health and reproductive rights, which is exactly why this women's health program is so essential. 

During one session, artisans create a recipe for a healthy relationship, with ingredients like "mutual appreciation"

A long journey to better outcomes

Before finishing for the day, we share a snack that the group has prepared. Over coffee and sweet bread, we share a moment of togetherness. 

And finally, we begin the journey home. Even on market days, only a few buses pass through Chirijquiac. If the timing is right, we might catch a bus back to Xela, or we will walk 30 minutes to find a pickup trunk to Salcajá. The road to Salcajá is bumpy and rutted, so we prefer the longer but easier route through Xela. 

Back in the bus terminal, we eat a late lunch and I board a bus home to San Juan. I say goodbye to Vilma, who lives in another town and takes a different route home. 

Left: Learning about tampons, menstrual cups, and reusable pads. Right: Making bracelets with beads representing the days of the menstrual cycle.

It's a long and tiring day, but I return home satisfied by time spent with the weavers and the chance to bring much-needed health education to their community. We have the opportunity to educate our artisan partners about their rights and their own health, for the first time. 

It's a long journey, and the need is urgent-- but through small actions and with the support of partner organizations and allies, we can achieve improvements in physical and emotional well-being for our artisan partners and their families. 

The context 

In rural communities where our artisan partners live, there are very few medical services. Some communities have health centers, but most have no doctor on staff and lack even basic medications. Most people must travel to the city to access care--often paying to visit private clinics because public health clinics don't offer specialty care. 

This is the situation our artisan partners find themselves in--which is why we are committed to finding alternative ways to reach these communities, since health care is a right and a vital human need. 

Partnerships are an important strategy for Mayan Hands. For the women's health series, we are proud to partner with Wuqu' Kawoq | Maya Health Alliance, an organization that specializes in serving rural communities and practices science-based care that honors Maya culture. Wuqu' Kawoq developed the high-quality educational curriculum, which is offered in artisans' native Mayan languages, and their providers speak Mayan languages, reducing a common barrier to understanding and agency.

Learning how a speculum is used 

After completing the six-part women's health workshops, Chirijquiac will participate in a clinic day, offering cervical cancer screenings, treatment for women's health concerns, and access to birth control. 

Support from the Mayan Hands donor community enables the Chirijquiac weavers and the other 16 artisan groups to access essential women's health care and education--plus, helps us develop care resources on other topics, like nutrition, mental health, and occupational health.

We invite you to be part of the positive changes that our artisan partners are generating in their communities. With your support, Mayan Hands will continue investing in women with the vision and capacity to change the world. 

Walking the walk: carrying health workshop supplies to another artisan community, Vasconcelos

Investing in artisan health and well-being: how we put donations to work

$25 provides one individual in-person therapy session

$100 pays for a mental health workshop led by a Maya woman psychologist, offered in the artisans' first language

$750  covers the in-depth, six-part women's health education series and clinic day for 1 artisan group 

$1,250 provides cervical cancer screenings for all Mayan Hands artisans 

Join us on the journey & make a gift to support health and well-being programs.