The Midwife

Project Guatemala

By: Jennifer Benito, Kelly Ly, Joseph Hernandez, and Alejandra Reyes
 About the Project
The Midwife Project Guatemala has a goal to revive ancestral Mayan midwifery practices
while respectfully integrating modern day professional midwifery practices.
 Mission Statement
Post-war Guatemala has been oppressed through years of war and westernization which
strongly affects women who are in their most vulnerable moments. Those moments are
childbirth and the years after. They aim to turn this around by bringing back power into
their communities and uplifting ancient and ancestral practices. They want to bring
midwives together to share their practice and knowledge so that younger generations can
learn and gain wisdom as well. Their vision includes one in which all women have access to
humane, respected, and safe birth care.
Long-term Goal
There is a need for a facility because there is a lack of competent maternal healthcare in their
village. There is no doctor and the governmental health care facility lacks running water, staff,
medications, and transportation services. This facility will help kickstart and set a traditional model
for a birthing center and education programs. There is an aim to place these facilities in more
villages. They want to offer women a safe space away from oppression and a place where they will
be respected. Overall, their goal is to offer safe, dignified, and culturally appropriate health care to
women by empowering midwives through education to revalue their ancestral knowledge while
integrating themselves with modern medical practices which in turn helps to create a birthing
center and a holistic center.
 Website/Contact
Info
The website - https://www.midwifeproject.net/

Email: mariugobbato@gmail.com / liekemoras@gmail.com

Phone: +502 5351 2861 / +31 68787 4478

Facebook: (https://www.facebook.com/themidwifeprojectguatemaya)

Instagram: (https://www.instagram.com/themidwifeprojectguatemaya/)

Gofundme: (https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-midwife-project-guatemaya)
 Gofundme
The GFM has raised 8,914 euros. Their total goal is 35,000 euros. These funds will cover the cost of an
education program that is offered for free to local Mayan midwives within the Guatemalan area in order to
support their communities. They outreach to girls as young as 13 and women as old as 82. The donations
help offer young midwives to access a six-month training program that not only teaches them basic
midwifery skills but also supplies them with a complete medical midwifery kit. They also want to create an
oral history collection by documenting twenty indigenous midwives and their records of ancestral wisdom.
The goal is to create a short film/documentary on the midwives in order to honor them and their traditions.
 Team Behind MWP
· Maria Eugenia Gobbato (vision holder/independent midwife)
· Lieke Moras (doula/birth worker)
· Ashley Mcdonell (holistic doula)
· Juana Martina Mendoza Sancoy (elder indigenous midwife)
· Marleny Vail (traditional midwife representing the young generation)
Advisory Council:
· Luz Marina Delgado (anthropologist expert in women’s rural sustainable development)
· Hannah Deriemaeke (licensed midwife/professional nurse)
· Lesbia Cholotio (traditional midwife/certified nurse)
· Nicte Savala (traditional midwife/Aj Qij Maya Mayor)
The Elders:
· Nana Rosalia Savala (midwife/elder)
· Nana Manuela Ochavajay (midwife/elder)
· Nana Sebstania (midwife/elder)
· Nana Dominga Martin (midwife/elder)
 Our Fundraiser
For our project, we decided to make informational flyers to be passed out to
faculty/students at school interested in listening and helping to donate to our fundraiser.
We talked about the project and what the organization was doing. We walked around
campus offering people donuts and letting them know why we were selling them. Those
who did buy some were given a small presentation as well as a flyer. For donating
proceeds, we offered donuts for $2 to fundraise and sent all donations to the
organization via gofundme.