The Comadres Women's Health Exchange and Internship Promotes Awareness of Latin American Women's Health Needs, Resources and Services
The focus of the experience is to collaborate with traditional midwives and learn from their existing know how, to exchange information about women's issues, health practices, research evidence, healing and spirit in a culturally sensitive way. Basic to this program is an immersion with the language and culture of the everyday life of women and hosting midwives.
Oaxaca located Southeast of Mexico City is a region with an abundance of traditional 'Pueblos' that are rich in heritage. There are many healer midwives deeply connected to the context of the area, the people and their ecology. The utilization of medicinal plants, Temescal steam bath ceremonies, prayer, and respect for the integral health of women, their families and the community are part of the midwifery healer tradition practiced in many parts of Oaxaca.
The program provides the participants with an opportunity to be a part of the Comadres 'Hermanas de Luna' a sisterhood link between Traditional Midwives and the visiting exchange students. Like an extended family, we are sharing and committing to ever deepening mutually enriching relationships, our goal is to build bonds between an elder traditional midwife teacher and her midwifery student with one or two exchange participants to support the local midwifery school.
The 'Comadres Oaxaca Exchange' program is based on the stated goals of the World Health Organization. The goals are to reduce maternal infant morbidity and mortality including STD/HIV prevention throughout the world by an increase in the utilization of nurses and midwives as providers of women's health care, and by the integration of midwifery and nursing in national women's health policy, education and care initiatives. In addition Comadres is dedicated to the preservation of the ways of the Pueblos heritage with respect to women's healing, birthing and nursing culture, and the midwifery tradition as heart and vital pulse in the wellbeing of it's community.
Exchange participant will be able to collaborate in the making of herbal preparations, in using massage techniques as performed by the traditional midwives, participate in a Temescal, learn about and experience natural healing, and may even provide hands on care in supervised settings to add to the their own education while bringing with them new energy for the preservation of the healer midwife tradition in the state of Oaxaca.
Read more about the Comadres Oaxaca Exchange
Contact:
Comadres Institute
Marina Alzugaray
PO Box 420180
Summerland Key, FL 33042
USA
Email: midwife@aol.com
Phone: 305 / 744-3370
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