Photo: Participants Demonstrate Kangaroo Mother Care
Impact Global Health Alliance Global Program Manager Erin Pfeiffer is in Guatemala to complete the third and final maternal/neonatal health training session funded by the Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation. The training covers topics of Antenatal Care, Postpartum Care, Maternal Nutrition, Breastfeeding, Kangaroo Mother Care, Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy, and techniques on training others. These topics incorporate new recommendations by the World Health Organization and USAID. The first session was held in March and the second session, also led by four health professional volunteers from the US, was held in June.
Training participants include the Casa Materna nurses and apprentices, health educators, Ministry of Health community facilitators, and ambulatory nurses. The training participants are learning quickly and participate in each workshop with enthusiasm and gusto. Training includes hands-on practice using mannequins and anatomical models purchased through Weyerhaeuser funds and role plays with real-life scenarios. The workshops also include skills related to effectively training others, focusing on adult learning principles. The nurses and health educators will utilize these skills to train a group of traditional birth attendants these next two weeks.
We are thrilled with the results of these sessions in partnership with the Weyerhaeuser Family Foundation. Building the skill-set of our local partners is so important to leading these community health systems to sustainability. Empowering the local community to be leaders in health is one of our most treasured values!
