The 2nd year of Plenty’s Traditional Birth Attendant Training Program in Belize is now finished, with the February graduation of 12 new birth attendants from Toledo District’s rural villages. Christina Kahlou, Plenty’s TBA trainer, worked with this second group of TBAs for seven months, carrying out numerous tasks. She co-facilitated training sessions with Nurse Hazel Cayetano of the Punta Gorda Hospital and accompanied the TBAs during their rotations observing births at the hospital. Christina visited the TBAs in their villages and met with local Mayan village leaders and village members to offer support to the TBAs in their new skills. In December, Deborah Flowers volunteered her time in Belize and she and Christina carried out a skills assessment of the two TBA groups. Christina’s December report gave us a real feel for her work:

“Village visits to Crique Jute, Pueblo Viejo, and San Antonio went wonderfully! In these villages, the Alcalde and Chairmen were very receptive to the TBA, her training, and the work of Plenty Belize. The village leaders asked interested questions and gave their support without reservation. In the later part of the day, the community centers were packed with village women for the afternoon women’s meetings! The women were very interested in the TBAs’ training and their scope of practice. An informal blood pressure clinic began with the TBA demonstrating her skills and the equipment that she would soon have after graduation. Many women asked questions about family planning. The TBA asked me to stress to the women that it is important that they not wait until a crisis before calling her. This is a consistent problem experienced by the TBAs.

Dolores was quite a village to visit! I left at 4:30 in the morning to pick up our translator in Big Falls. We drove the hour and a half to Otaxha and then left the jeep at the end of the trail and hiked over the mountain to reach Dolores! We met with the Alcalde and Chairman. The TBA there is also the village health worker. There were some concerned discussions regarding the transporting of emergency cases. Guatemalan emergency services are much closer to Dolores than Punta Gorda. I told them that one way to transport is for 7 strong men to carry the laboring mom in a hammock.”

There are 23 new active TBAs in Toledo as a result of this program. (Year 2000 graduate, Faustina Ack, of Medina Bank unfortunately died this year at the age of 49.)

We are actively looking for funding for Phase III of the project which will begin in June. The focus will include a third and final training of TBAs from the remainder of Toledo District’s rural villages, the provision of basic supplies, and continuing education and village visits by the new Plenty trainer. Our deep appreciation goes to Christina Kahlou for her dedicated and heartfelt work.