{"id":6405,"date":"2024-01-06T09:30:56","date_gmt":"2024-01-06T15:30:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asociacionama.org.gt\/?page_id=6405"},"modified":"2024-09-12T10:57:51","modified_gmt":"2024-09-12T16:57:51","slug":"vinculacion-y-fortalecimiento-de-actores-estrategicos-para-aumentar-el-acceso-a-los-servicios-de-salud-sexual-y-reproductiva-2023","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/asociacionama.org.gt\/en\/vinculacion-y-fortalecimiento-de-actores-estrategicos-para-aumentar-el-acceso-a-los-servicios-de-salud-sexual-y-reproductiva-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Linking and Strengthening Strategic Actors to Increase Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (2023)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo: Technical Table \"Prevent with Education\" :: Credits to AMA Association<\/em><\/h6>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Project Name: <\/strong><\/h3>\n

Linking and Strengthening Strategic Actors to Increase Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (2023)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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Fecha de inicio: Enero\/2023<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

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End Date: January\/2023
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5,000 Girls and Young Women Benefited<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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AMA Association firmly believes in the importance of enhancing our operational capabilities as civil society organizations and those of other strategic actors to continue strengthening and ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for indigenous and mestizo adolescent girls and young women in the communities where they operate.<\/p>\n

To strengthen our work in response to this issue, AMA Association implemented the project \"Linking and Strengthening Strategic Actors to Increase Access to Sexual and Reproductive Health Services (SRH).\" This project enhanced the technical, operational, and advocacy capacities of strategic community actors who provide, manage, and strengthen SRH services, and it was carried out in partnership with the International Community Foundation within the framework of the Central America Grant Fund.<\/p>\n

The general objective of the project was: To contribute to increasing direct access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services for indigenous and mestizo adolescent girls (AG) and young women (YW) in the department of Pet\u00e9n, Guatemala.<\/p>\n

Specific Objectives:<\/p>\n

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  1. Increase access and quality of SRH services for 3,600 AG and YW from 6 Health Districts of the department of Pet\u00e9n, through the strengthening of the capacities of 120 indigenous and mestizo grandmother midwives and two inter-institutional fairs on the prevention of adolescent pregnancies.<\/li>\n
  2. Improve coordination, capacities, and links between decision-makers of the Ministry of Health, government institutions, civil society, and AMA, to enhance direct access to SRH services for AG and YW in Pet\u00e9n.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    To achieve the project's objectives, the following activities were carried out:<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    Activities 2023<\/h2>
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    1. Interactive Training Camps on Differentiated SRH Care, Aimed at 120 Indigenous and Mestizo Midwives and Birth Attendants<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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    Six camps were held, each lasting a day and a half, with the participation of 20 indigenous and mestizo midwives and birth attendants from each of the six Health Districts. These were conducted by bilingual staff in Spanish and Maya Q'eqch\u00ed from the national reproductive health program of the Pet\u00e9n Sur Occidente Health Area Directorate, the National Movement of Grandmother Midwives Nim Alaxik, and the AMA Association.<\/p>\n

    The capacity transfer focused on the following themes: Participation in reducing maternal mortality; Roles of the midwife; Care of pregnant women, childbirth, and newborns; Referrals, Health Commission and Responsible Maternity; Family planning; prevention of early pregnancies; Women's rights; Linkage with health services; and Sharing experiences during the pandemic.<\/p>\n

    Strengthening the capacities of grandmother midwives in the Pet\u00e9n Sur Occidente Area was timely and appropriate, as they had minimal opportunities for capacity enhancement before the pandemic, with the public health system focused on addressing COVID-19.<\/p>\n

    Notably, this intervention has significantly strengthened the link between midwives and health personnel from the public sexual and reproductive health services of the Health Districts. Good relations and communication between these actors are key to preventing maternal death. A timely referral to health services can save a life, which is why the strengthened alliance between the aforementioned parties is highly satisfactory. The success also lies in the fact that the work was implemented hand in hand with the reproductive health program, which has been close and professional.<\/p>\n

    As part of this linkage, it's important to note that the grandmother midwives have engaged in new activities in coordination with the health personnel of the national reproductive health program of the Pet\u00e9n Sur Occidente Health Area, such as participating with a stand at the inter-institutional fair for the prevention of adolescent pregnancies, thereby strengthening their connection with the institutional system and public sexual and reproductive health services.<\/p>\n

    Also, having bilingual personnel in the health staff and AMA has strengthened capacity transfer and cultural relevance, as 90% of the grandmother midwives are Maya Q'eqch\u00ed. Hence, the teaching-learning process has been favorable.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

    2. Meetings of the \"Prevent with Education\" Technical Table in the Department of Pet\u00e9n<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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    Four meetings of the departmental \"Prevent with Education<\/em><\/strong>\" Technical Table were held in Pet\u00e9n, with representatives from government institutions, civil society, and the Congress of the Republic participating.<\/p>\n

    In this context, the coordination, capacities, and linkage between decision-makers from the Ministry of Health (3 Health Area Directorates of Pet\u00e9n), Ministry of Education, Pet\u00e9n's Deputy in the Congress of the Republic, Ministry of Social Development, Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Human Trafficking (SVET), National Youth Council (CONJUVE), Tan Uxil Association, Actions for a Healthy Life Association, and AMA Association were strengthened.<\/p>\n

    This initiative improved direct access to SRH services for more than 45,000 adolescent girls (AG) and young women (YW) in the department of Pet\u00e9n, through activities established in the Strategic Plan of the departmental \"Prevent with Education\" Technical Table of Pet\u00e9n, which was set by the aforementioned actors.<\/p>\n

    This has prioritized the unification of government and civil society institutions to improve access to sexual and reproductive health services and strengthen the prevention of adolescent pregnancies in Pet\u00e9n, especially in the jurisdiction of the Departmental Directorate of Integrated Health Service Networks of Pet\u00e9n, South West Area (recently renamed, previously known as the Pet\u00e9n South West Area Health Directorate). This geographical area (municipalities of Sayaxch\u00e9, La Libertad, and Las Cruces) has historically had the highest rate of maternal death and adolescent pregnancies in Pet\u00e9n, with 11 maternal deaths recorded in 2022 and 2 from January to April 2023. Additionally, the municipality of Sayaxch\u00e9 had the highest rate of adolescent pregnancies in Guatemala in 2022, with 64 pregnancies in girls aged 10 to 14.<\/p>\n

    AMA-led actions and advocacy have enabled the aforementioned actors to strengthen their efforts in preventing early pregnancies, improving the coverage of sexual and reproductive health services, and directly benefiting 5,429 adolescent girls and women in that area.<\/p>\n

    Actions included strengthening adolescent-friendly spaces, inter-institutional fairs for the prevention of adolescent pregnancies, tracking and follow-up of adolescent pregnancies, prenatal control monitoring for adolescents under 14 years old, meetings with midwives, formation of emergency committees, screening for cervical cancer detection, and coordination of responsible parenthood and maternity tables. Although much remains to be done, these initiatives significantly strengthen access to sexual and reproductive health services and the prevention of adolescent pregnancies in the department of Pet\u00e9n. Interactive training camps were also planned with indigenous and mestizo Maya Q'eqch\u00ed grandmother midwives from the Health Districts of South Pet\u00e9n. These began on International Women's Day, aiming to strengthen access to comprehensive and differentiated health for adolescent girls and women in South Pet\u00e9n.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>

    3. Inter-institutional Fair on Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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    AMA Association participated in the first inter-institutional fair for the prevention of adolescent pregnancies in the Tierra Blanca Health District, Sayaxch\u00e9, Pet\u00e9n. The fair aimed to raise awareness about the importance of preventing pregnancies and sexual violence among adolescent boys and girls from the indigenous and mestizo communities' basic education institutes in the aforementioned district.<\/p>\n

    The event was attended by 600 adolescent girls and boys, who had the opportunity to visit the informative stands of participating institutions. At these stands, they received information on ways to prevent pregnancies and sexual violence in girls and adolescents, family planning methods, sexual and reproductive rights, mechanisms for reporting violence, women's rights, adolescent girls' rights, and the roles of the participating institutions.<\/p>\n

    Participating institutions included the Ministry of Health, Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Human Trafficking (SVET), Ministry of Social Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, Guatemalan Army, Municipal Women's Office of Sayaxch\u00e9, Pet\u00e9n, Midwives of Sayaxch\u00e9, Public Ministry, and AMA Association.<\/p>\n

    The fair provided a framework for empowering adolescents about their sexual and reproductive rights, which is key in preventing early pregnancies.<\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

    Results Achieved 2022-2023<\/h2>
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    Primary Beneficiaries:<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/h4><\/div>
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