Honduran Birthing Project
Birthing Project USA has partnered with the Cuban Medical School (which is training Hondurans to become doctors), PINCC (a non-profit organization that diagnosis and treats cervical cancer for women in developing countries), Children's Smiles International (a non-profit that provides tooth extraction for children and adults in developing countries) and CHIMES ( a non-profit set up to build clinics for the Cuban trained Garifuna doctors) support pregnant Garifuna women in Honduras.
The Garifunas are the Africans who refused to be enslaved. They escaped the Spanish slave ships, married the Caribe Indian women and managed to keep their culture intact. They now live in the remotest parts of Honduras and Belize. They grow their food, fish and are not a starving, down- trodden people. They do lack access to health care and medicine.
Our project is a joint effort to help them implement their own health care system. It also gives me an opportunity to see some options as to how our own Cuban trained doctors may come back and work in communities in the U.S.
Our team was led by the vice-rector of the Cuban Medical School. The team consisted of a Cuban doctor, a recently graduated Garifuna doctor and representatives of the above- mentioned organizations.

We provided health clinics in three provinces: Limon, Ciroboya and Tocamachu. Limon has clinics for one week approximately 3 times a year. Ciroboya is the home of the clinic under construction but has now had two clinics in 6 months.
Tocumachu is in the remotest part of the jungle and can only be reached by a 2-3 hour canoe ride. We provided the first comprehensive clinic in 7 years. When we got there, 45 women were waiting to see the gynecologist. She did not make this part of the trip because of a pending hurricane...so I did the best I could. As in the other two provinces, the women had never had breast exams or discussions about basic women’s health stuff. The amazing thing is all of this was done in English, my version of Spanish...and translated into Garifuna and then translated back into Spanish and then English. At some point, we all just spoke Spanish!
As you can see, the hurricane did come. We were rescued by a group of local people and you won't believe the photos of the vehicles being driven through the water the next day.
By the time I boarded the plane back to the US, we had met with the Regional Health Director and women health care workers and midwives, developed a plan and identified a Birthing Project Director. The job of Birthing Project USA is to provide them prenatal vitamins, birthing supplies and midwife and doula training...and the concept of SisterFriends. In return, they will share their knowledge of herbs and traditional pregnancy and birthing knowledge. I will also have the honor of paying my respects to the descendents of the Africans who would not be slaves.
I thank each and every one of you for what you have done to give me the roots and wings to pursue my vision of how I should live the gift of my life. The jungle of Honduras is a long way fro the jungle of Watts but I've come to understand that the love we share is deeper than the ocean that separates us.
Blessings,
Kathryn


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