Women’s health is a very important issue in Guatemala mainly because of the lack of education. Simple topics including menstrual cycle and female anatomy are avoided leaving women with many fears and doubts concerning their own bodies and how they work.

Macie Holstein, a recent graduate of Georgia College with a degree in Public Health, came down with her church to do a medical trip and stayed as a volunteer an extra week with the focus of doing a women’s health outreach. She prepared lesson plans to include diet, personal hygiene, a woman’s anatomy, menstrual cycle and menopause, personal care during and after pregnancy, and how to prevent teen pregnancy.

A team of women from El Faro banded together with Macie and for four days traveled to different villages including Las Esbobas, Frontera, Santa Maria, and Punta de Palma. One of the neat activities each woman did was write down the dreams they had for their children before they were to have kids of their own. Focusing on a bigger picture and dreaming for them creates an atmosphere of striving for something more. In addition, one of the things that was stressed throughout the week  was the importance of talking openly with their children about these topics often avoided.

We believe that this is just the beginning to informing and empowering the women in the villages that surround El Faro through educational outreaches. We have seen too many young women give up dreams due to an unplanned pregnancy and also many who live in fear because of not understanding how their bodies work. The response was positive and we saw the desire in the women to learn more.