volunteer work in native communities

The geography is very rugged in the Peruvian Andes, especially in Vilcabamba. The large distances and difficult terrain between the indigenous villages and the populated centers, the cultures, traditions and minimum access to information about maternal health. Problemens of discrimination against women and exclusion of information to women, plus conditions of poverty, lead to a high percentage of indigenous pregnant mothers that don´t have safe or high quality attention in the final phases of pregnancy, especially during labour, increasing the number of deaths of the mothers and children of these towns.
Peru is a multicultural country, each culture having its own characteristics. Consistently, conceptual conflicts originated in the development of societies. The organitión Lazos Solidarios understands how to be inter-cultural and to have mutual respect, to compliment the knowledge of the ancestors and the scientific advances for getting these objectives. We value life and justice and with this project we will to contribute to the welfare of the family, of the women and of the future participants of society.
WHAT IS MAMA WASI?
Mama Wasi is a Quechua term (language native to Peru), that means the House for mothers. Consequently, it is a shelter or temporary lodging ( 2 to 3 weeks) for pregnant women, companions the mothers may choose(partner, mother, other family), who are permitted to access the health services system in the week before delivery, to get a safe and quality birthing process, in the local health center, and in this way, contribute to the prevention of mother deaths and peri- natal deaths, principally in rural areas.
It is importad to clarify that the House for pregnant women is not an extension of health services and should not be confused with a hospital room. For those taking advantage of this stay, there are different workshops offered; such as educative workshops, pregnancy prevention workshops, workshops for cooking with local products with the purpose of teaching the value of these foods, and health workshops that contribute to the adoption of healthy behaviors.
FOR WHOM IS MAMA WASI?
A house for expecting mothers should offer the opportunity to access a health center with the capacity to attend to all pregnant women in the distant communities or the areas with little access. The purpose of this program is that these women will have the opportunity to receive appropriate care in labour, and to obtain the necessary reference for assistance to be carried out in a major health center that has the capacity to care for obstetric and neonatal emergencies at all times that a risky situation or a complication should present itself at any moment in the pregnancy , above all in the period of labour and postpardum.
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