Women's Health
May 2021
Through our partnership with Xela Aid, we held a cervical cancer screening clinic in San Martin, a community nestled in the Highlands of Guatemala. In this land of wisping clouds and patches of cultivated fields, the first language is Mam. Many do not speak Spanish or read or write. Most have never left their mountain homes.
Using translators from Mam to Spanish, Dr. Patty Baiza, Nurse Ana Garcia, and our passionate women’s health advocate, Tagni Moncada, spoke gently with the women of the community, explaining to them the importance of taking care of themselves so they could take care of their families.
Cervical cancer is such a preventable disease that takes the lives of women across Guatemala especially in communities such as San Martín. It is screening and treatment in communities such as these that do nothing short of saving lives.
In August, we will hold a women's health education retraining session with Xela Aid.
Throughout the pandemic, our dedicated Guatemalan volunteers served their communities by distributing monthly Faith In Practice care packages, which included food, vitamins, and health education materials. In October, the focus of these efforts turned to women’s health, including menstruation, menopause, and women’s cancers with an emphasis on breast self-exam.
Thanks to our longtime partner, Vitamin Angels, our Guatemalan volunteers were able to distribute prenatal vitamins to pregnant women within their communities. In addition, they distributed menstrual hygiene kits from Days for Girls, extending an initiative we piloted in the villages in 2019.
In March, we held the first of several women's health education sessions with our partner Xela Aid. Dra. Patty, Ana, and Tagni provided their expertise to the staff at Xela Aid on cervical cancer screening and prevention.
Cancer Patient Case Management
In spite of challenges created by the pandemic, our Dra. Patty Baiza has continued her important work in accompanying and case managing cancer patients who have come to us through mainly, but not exclusively, through our women’s health and cervical cancer screening program.
Patty navigates the complicated cancer hospital process and we provide support ranging from paying for tests to facilitating transport, etc. for these patients who otherwise would be unable to get into the hospital system, navigate it, and/or pay for testing and treatment. Patty’s work and her tenacious and compassionate work for these patients is truly saving lives.
