Women’s UN Report Network Article Round-up

In the news this week:

Afghanistan - Stoning of Woman Accused of Adultery

Uzbekistan- Rural Women Groups for Skills & Livlihoods

India- Stop Child Marriage Entrapment

Egypt - Evolving Analysis of Women's Issues, Rights

Women Confronting Violence in Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala- From Survivors to Defenders

Remember your mother AND a lot of other mothers too...

Find something beautiful for your mom for Mother's Day and spread the love to a lot of other moms in Uganda and Guatemala....

MUSANA JEWELRY

MERCADO GLOBAL

Happy Mother's Day to all!!

HRW: Putting Women on the Agenda in Cartagena

"It’s the Americas’ largest reunion. Happening every three years, the Summit of the Americas brings together the heads-of-state of the region to talk about pressing concerns. Over the weekend in Cartagena, Colombia, the theme will be 'Connecting the Americas: Partners for Prosperity'..."

This is an excellent essay about the vital importance of discussing women and women's issues at the Summit of the Americas this year. Click here to continue reading...

Update on Malnutrition in Guatemala

Feed a Child - Reduce Malnutrition in Guatemala


Site visits to 5 communities
By Peter Rohloff - Medical Director
 

Dear friends,

I am just back from a great trip to Guatemala where, together with our nutrition staff and pediatricians, we made the rounds on 5 communities which are enrolled in the Plumpydoz project, funded by you all!

In all communities, we were very pleased with the progress that the children are making. Most children and mothers really enjoy using the Plumpydoz product, and we are seeing some early encouraging results in each location. For example, mothers report that their children have better appetites and are getting sick less often. Additionally, we saw many cases where the Plumpydoz is already making a big difference for children in terms of their growth. We expect that, as time goes on, these effects will become more and more pronounced.

Also, in each community, we took the time to visit with several very ill children. As you can probably imagine, whenever we start a nutrition program in a new community, we always find at least a few children who have previously undiagnosed illnesses other than malnutrition, such as congenital heart disease, seizures, etc. Since there really is no primary care for children in Guatemala, often visits with our doctors are the first these children have had. As part of our community based nutrition work, however, we at Wuqu' Kawoq also commit to treating any other medical condition we find in the children that we serve.

Thanks once again for all of your support and generosity in this project, and stay tuned for more updates! As always, email me at peter@wuqukawoq.org with any questions or concerns.

Feed a Child on October 19th

Feed a Child: On Oct 19, your gift grows 30%!
By Peter Rohloff - Medical Director

Dear Friends and Supporters,

 We are excited to announce that on October 19, GlobalGiving.org is matching all online donations at 30% up to $1000 per donor per project!

Thanks to your support, we now have 5 communities receiving comprehensive nutrition and medical care utilizing Plumpydoz! We have already had seen some successes, after just a few short months, with decreases in diarrhea and other illnesses in the recipient children. Of course we are following their growth closely and expect to see results there as well.

Last week we sponsored a conference “Collective Futures" (http://en.futuroscolectivos.com/) in Guatemala bringing together 80 international non-profits, regional organizations, and government agencies to address major issues in community development. One focus of the conference was working together to fight child malnutrition in creative and practical ways. Our partners at Edesia (the manufacturers of Plumpydoz) gave an excellent talk on the use of the product to a packed room of health promoters, scholars and community members representing several countries and many regions of Guatemala.

We hope that you will continue to support this exciting work! In particular, don't forget that on October 19, GlobalGiving.org is matching all online donations at 30% up to $1000 per donor per project! There is $100,000 available in matching funds from 12:01am EDT until they run out! You have been the most generous of supporters and we wanted to invite you to take advantage of the generous matching funds from Global Giving to help stretch every precious dollar! We know the economy is difficult right now and we are extremely thankful for each dollar you can provide to help change the future for children in Guatemala!

GO HERE TO DONATE!

Thank you for Being the Change in these children’s lives!

Update from Support Kaqchikel Midwives in Guatemala

Women's health classes continue to grow

By Peter Rohloff - Medical Director

Dear friends,

Recently we completed some needs assessment work in a few of the rural communities where we are working. One of the most important things to come out of these surveys is that more than 70% of women have no access to contraception! Furthermore, in our clinical work providing pap smear/cervical cancer screening to women, we continue to diagnose extremely high rates of sexually transmitted infections. Taken together, these experience show how little health care there is in rural Guatemala for women!

On the ground, our local nursing staff have now been trained on how to run the sexual health classes, and they are now operating independently. We just completed another round of classes in our central urban location in Santiago Sacatepéquez. Based on the need we are finding in rural areas, we will be expanding these offerings into the rural communities we work in, providing classes on site in these locations! These classes are extremely well received and offer an opportunity to women to talk about the issues they face. They also provide a way for them to plug in to our clinical services, such as cervical cancer screening and treatment of common menstrual disorders and sexually transmitted infections.

In other news, the ACOTCHI midwifery cooperative continues to grow. Recently a long term lease was signed on a property to build the first-ever comprehensive midwife-run birthing center in rural Guatemala. Another separate property was also acquired, which will serve as an educational center for the community.

Stay tuned for more exciting news in months to come!

Update from Reduce Malnutrition in Guatemala

Update from Guatemala

By Peter Rohloff - Medical Director

Dear friends and supporters, I just got back from another exciting trip to Guatemala!

Our child nutrition projects using Plumpydoz are progressing very well! The programs are now in full swing, with comprehensive nutrition as well as medical care, in 4 out of 5 target communities! We anticipate the last community will come on line by the end of August. These programs have been made possible entirely because of the support of you, our donors!

The product is being very well received in the communities, and we are already starting to notice a difference in the health of children! Community leaders, especially women, have been especially energized by the program, and it has already generated a lot of talk and interest about starting some other new programs as well, such as health programs for women!

The ABC news team was down again several weeks ago and shot some additional video of the project as well as interviews with mothers of children in the program and our local staff. We look forward to seeing some of that footage on ABC in coming months!

In the meantime, please enjoy the new pictures that I am attaching from one of the target towns, Paquip.

GlobalGiving progress update, Guatemala

GlobalGiving Site Visit

By Clinton Misamore - Field Program Officer

On February 24th, 2011 I had the unique privilege of visiting one of the child malnutrition programs of Wuqu Kawoq. My visit was lead by two of Wuqu Kawoq’s dedicated, long-term volunteers Claire Melvin and Miranda Greiner. After a gorgeous ride through the Guatemalan hillside we had arrived at the fieldsite of Pacquip to meet the community members. The women in the community were sufficiently and independently running the distribution of Plumpy’doz (nutritional food supplement). In addition, the women were recording all these transactions, weighing the children, and measuring their heights. They were recording all this data and monitoring progress to ensure that all children were improving their nutritional intakes. (see photo’s) It was clearly evident that the model being implemented by Wuqu Kawoq was being engendered and expanded by the intended beneficiaries. This was obviously a key indicator of success and a healthy relationship between the organization and the communities they serve. Most importantly, because of the work of Wuqu Kawoq, many of the communities are being educated on the effects of malnourishment which is inevitably leading to healthier children. The proof is in the Plumpy’doz!! And of course in Wuqu Kawoq. Thanks to the Wuqu Kawoq team who took time from their personal and busy schedules, to show me the amazing work that their organization is undertaking.

Update from Guatemala

Update on Women's Health Classes

By Claire Melvin - Project Coordinator
 
Wuqu’ Kawoq has collaborated on educational opportunities for Guatemalan midwives for years, and in January of 2011 we began a pilot program to expand our model to include education for other women in our communities as well. The pilot program is a series of five themed classes on sexual health every two weeks for a total of ten weeks. The themes include: getting to know one’s body (essentially a women’s anatomy class), sexually transmitted infections (STI) and HIV/AIDS, cervical cancer and menopause, family planning and contraception, and the final class is a review of all of the themes and a graduation with diplomas.


In addition providing education to the women, we encourage them to attend our monthly women's clinics where we provide pelvic/papanicolaou exams, STI testing and treatment, as well as contraception (birth control pills and injections) free of charge to each of our patients.

We started our first round of classes with 3 groups of women, ranging in size from 7 to 18 students, in Santiago and San Pedro, Sacatepéquez. In the past month we have completed these classes and successfully graduated 27 students. These classes were extremely successful in terms of participant reception as well as attendance. We will continue to offer these classes and expand them to other communities!

$100 GlobalGiving gift card

I was so thrilled and genuinely grateful for the amazing recognition from GlobalGiving.org a few weeks ago {see post here} when they thanked me for my work on this blog with a $100 gift card. Today, I decided to forget my dental woes {two crowns and a root canal!} by doing a little giving.

I gave to one of my very favorite Guatemala charities; Wuqu' Kawoq, an organization started in 2007 by a group of development workers partnering with indigenous communities in Guatemala with the intent of addressing nutrition and health problems. They believe that health and cultural vitality are inseparable from each other. They are interested in supporting indigenous medical workers, developing first language health services, and disseminating knowledge about nuitrition and traditional health practices, including herbal medicine and midwifery.

I think this is a genius idea- I love this country and it's quickly fading culture!- and I have been working diligently with them recently, trying to further the reach and success of their projects. A few of the current project we've been working on can be found on GlobalGiving.org, including the two I gave to today:

Feed a Child - Reduce Malnutrition in Guatemala 
&
Support Kaqchikel midwives in Guatemala

don't you love these beautiful faces?!

Favorite GlobalGiving Projects of the Week: Guatemala

When my dad was 19, he served a church service mission in Guatemala for 2 years {for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints}. I grew up listening to his stories and looking at his pictures of that beautiful country. It has always had a special place in my heart.

Guatemala is struggling to feed it's people, especially children and the elderly. They are the most malnourished country in all of Latin America. Before advancements can be made in education, technology, and the economy, the people of Guatemala need sufficient food. So this week, I'm showcasing several GlobalGiving projects that directly help provide better nutrition in this gorgeous country.

1. Feed a Child - Reduce Malnutrition in Guatemala
2. Buy a Goat for a Family in Guatemala
3. Restore a Child's Health in Guatemala
4. School Meals at Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
5. School Lunches Improve Learning for Mayan Children

P.S. Don't forget to take the poll! ----->

Malnutrition plagues Guatemala

Guatemala has the highest rate of chronic malnutrition among children in Latin America, and the health consequences continue on through adulthood.

Awareness about malnutrition has grown, but necessary monitoring has no been put into place to see if the situation is improving, Botran said. The food security office has helped connect stake holders and runs initiatives to provide fortified foods and educate the population.

USAID also contributes between $16 to $18 million a year in food assistance to the country, including some higher protein commodities like beans and grains fortified with soy.

Still, says Chessa Lutter, regional advisor for the Pan American Health Organization, Guatemala continues to have some of the poorest nutrition indicators in the region and once a child has been malnourished through crucial early development, it has long-lasting implications.

Go here to read the full article on PBS NEWSHOUR

P.S. Don't forget to take the poll! ----->

Post-Coup Honduras

Honduras: Prosecute Post-Coup Abuses
Attacks and Threats Remain a Very Serious Concern

In the aftermath of Honduras’s 2009 coup, security forces under the de facto government beat demonstrators, detained people arbitrarily, and shut down media outlets.

Since the inauguration in January of President Porfirio Lobo, who was elected after the coup, at least 47 journalists, human rights defenders, and political activists have been threatened or attacked -- 18 of them killed. Circumstantial evidence in most of these cases suggest that victims were targeted because of their political views.

No one has been held accountable for these acts, nor for what happened in the coup’s aftermath.

Court cases concerning crimes committed after the coup have been stalled – in part because various state agencies won’t cooperate with Honduras’s human rights unit. Security forces have failed to turn over firearms for ballistics tests and ignored requests to identify officers accused of crimes. Investigations into the officers’ actions lack independence.

The Supreme Court endorsed the military’s actions during the coup and fired four judges who questioned the coup’s legality, creating a climate that discouraged lower-court judges from ruling against the de facto government.

Until Honduran authorities take concrete steps to hold people accountable for past actions and to stop the attacks, it will be difficult to restore trust in the country’s democratic system.
 
To read more, go here

Favorite GlobalGiving Project of the week: Help Guatemalan Women Achieve Self-Sufficiency

Help Guatemalan Women Achieve Self-Sufficiency

Project Needs and Beneficiaries
75% of Guatemala’s rural population lives in poverty; most are indigenous people. Lack of resources and education and recent surges in male emigration to the US leave rural women providing for the family alone. APROSADSE provides women with a pathway out of poverty with loans to purchase livestock, trains the women on their care, and guides them through the process of building a successful small business.

Activities
The project will provide loans, guide women through business paperwork and loan re-payment processes, provide trainings on animal/ project maintenance and provide support through regularly scheduled meetings and vets visits.

Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $10,969
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $12,754
Total Funding Goal: $23,723

Why is this project important?
Potential Long Term Impact
Women can provide regular nourishment for their families, enabling more children to attend and graduate from school. More resources will flow into rural communities, and fewer people will migrate to cities or the US.

My great hope in life has been to be able to pay for my children’s education- for their future- and APROSADSE’s cow-raising project has helped me to do that, and has provided milk for our consumption.

- Patrociña Cristal Ventura, Project participant - cow-raising program

Mercado Global

Guatemala is struggling through Tropical Storm Agatha- get an eye-witness update on relief efforts on Mercado Global Blog: Facing the Effects of Tropical Storm Agatha

What is Mercado Global? Its an amazing non-profit org that sells the handcrafts of women in Guatemala online and returns the profits to these women and their communities. Need to buy someone a present? Shop at Mercado Global! 100% of what you pay for these gorgeous things go to help build better homes, schools and lives in rural Guatemala.

It doesn't get much better than that.

They make some really AWESOME stuff- here are a few of my favorites: