NSWB provides health education to Guatemalan women
Nursing Students Without Borders (NSWB) of VCU recently returned from a community service trip to Guatemala, where members provided health education to women villagers. Nine students, accompanied by Mary Falk, M.S.N, RN, CCRN, PCCN, CNL, clinical instructor, spent the week working with indigenous Mayan women who are training to be nurse midwives.
The group conducted community health screenings, led classes and discussions about nutrition during pregnancy and various health topics, and built fuel-efficient stoves for women who are training to be midwives. The stoves provide a safer and cleaner method for cooking their meals.
The students traveled in conjunction with the Highland Support Project and were paired with the Association of Mayan Women (Asociación de Mujeres del Altiplano or AMA). The Highland Support Project, based out of Richmond, supports communities in the Highlands of Guatemala by fostering innovative models of development that break cycles of dependency. The AMA provides Guatemalan women with skills, education and opportunities for entrepreneurship.
