Reproductive Health Nicaragua Project #2680

Healthcare for Pregnant Women in Nicaragua

by Clinica Verde

Healthcare for Pregnant Women in Nicaragua

Project Report | Mar 15, 2022
Celebrating Hellen - and, It's a Girl!

By Mary Flores Guindo | Program Director

This year, we honor Hellen for 10 years of distinguished service at Clinica Verde. Hellen plays a critical role as our housekeeper, making sure things are hygienic and welcoming for our patients. We asked her what she likes most about her job, and to share a story about her work:

"The best thing is being a part of the great family of Clinica Verde. I feel very grateful to everyone for giving me the opportunity to belong to the work team and to those from the U.S. I say thank you for trusting me."

"There was a special patient, Doña Anacleta, an elderly woman whom I had the pleasure of being able to help with food and other needs when she was convalescing from cataract surgery. We were giving her accommodation in CV, since it was very complicated for her to travel to her community. She always comes to the clinic with her son and, for several years now, whenever she comes as a thank you she brings a sweet for everyone on the CV team. That is special."

Thank you, beloved Hellen! #ClinicaVerde10

• • •

A Healthy Baby Girl!

The pandemic and the health of her pregnancy were Mayling’s main fears when she joined a group of expectant mothers at Clínica Verde, part of our ongoing Prenatal Nutrition program. When she learned that she was pregnant, the information about the coronavirus was not encouraging for young mothers in Nicaragua, especially for those who, like Mayling, come from a rural part of the country. Healthcare services were restricted, and information was poor. Anxiety was high. And the combination of the walk and the bus ride she had to take to get to Clinica Verde at first discouraged her from joining the group of young mothers.

But in response to the new challenges, Clinica Verde had pivoted to offer a hybrid approach to the program, which provides education, support and hands-on training. Mayling was able to join the conversations and classes through WhatsApp.

"These meetings, the emotional support techniques and the discussions on WhatsApp helped me dispel my fears and doubts," says the young mother, who was one of the first in the group to be vaccinated against Covid-19.

“From there I learned the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, which I currently apply to my baby,” Mayling says, while holding her 5-day-old daughter Neyssi, who, thanks to the support of the group of pregnant women and the education provided, was born with a normal birth weight and “brimming with good health.”

In the seven years that Clinica Verde has supported rural women through the Prenatal Nutrition Program, some 538 mothers, their babies, and their families have been served, learning the importance of good nutrition, social emotional support, and healthy practices to ensure their everyday wellbeing.

This work could not have been achieved without the efforts of our donors. Meyling and her new baby have all of you to thank.

Permalink

Feb 1, 2022
Yessi is Moving On

By Melvin Rodriguez | Communications Director

Ten years ago, Yessica Solano started her story on the Clínica Verde team after winning one of the biggest battles of her life: fighting to obtain a nursing degree so she could become the professional she always dreamed of being. She started her nursing career at Clinica Verde in 2012.

In a country where few can achieve a university degree, Yessica's dream impacted hundreds of young people through programs she developed and guided at Clinica Verde addressing gender equality, mental health and healthy youth development. In the midst of the pandemic, she helped to educate hundreds of community members on how to take precautions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Despite the loss of her own family members to Covid-19, she continued to help educate and serve patients with compassion and humanism.

"Yessi is a woman who cares for each patient as if he were her brother," says Mary Flores, project coordinator at CV. "She has devoted so much love and vocation to serve the neediest families."

"This has been my school and my home for these 10 years," said Yessica. "I have had wonderful experiences with this very special team."

"We thank Yessi for a decade of exceptional service and resilience. She will continue to serve as an example for those who, like her, fervently hope to dedicate themselves to helping others just as she did over these past 10 years," said Flores.

We wish Yessi the best as she emigrates to the U.S. to search for new opportunities for her family.

• • •

The Power to Decide Your Future

Mayra arrived at Clínica Verde anxious and worried with her 4-month-old daughter in her arms. Her baby was her eighth child and the young mother was searching for help and support through family planning.

"I don't want to get pregnant again," was the first thing Mayra said to the nurse at Clinica Verde while filling out her registration information. Because of the risk of Covid-19, the local hospital would not provide surgery to Mayra to prevent further pregnancies.

Mayra came from a rural region located about 40 kilometers away, where she stayed home to care for her children while her husband worked in the fields. The family's income was less than $100 per month.

At Clínica Verde, her baby and children received wellness exams, which showed that the infant was underweight. The nurse offered recommendations during the consult and provided Mayra with contraceptives, which will give her the power to plan her family according to her wishes.

Contraception can be hard to find for rural women, and abortion is illegal in Nicaragua. Nicaragua has one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in Latin America, and large families such as Mayra's are common in the countryside, where many survive on less than $2 a day.

Clinica Verde is proud to be able to provide family planning services to women like Mayra who would otherwise have few options.

Thank you for continuing to support the work of Clinica Verde so that we are able to provide these much-needed services.

Permalink

Dec 23, 2021
A Message to you from the Clinica Verde team

By Mary Elizabeth Flores and Rafael Morales | Program Director and General Manager

Dear Friends of Clínica Verde,

As we approach the holiday, we want to share with you the work of the Clinica Verde team in Nicaragua. Bringing hope and compassionately accompanying our community through this difficult year been a great honor and achievement. We are grateful for your support.

In 2021, with your help, we:

• Visited 71 rural communities to provide health care services
• Provided over 4,700 individual health consults in rural communities
• Provided over 2,200 optometry screenings at schools and in communities
• Delivered educational talks to over 3,100 patients
• Provided over 280 mental health care consults
• Provided biointensive gardening/home farming training benefitting 149 families
• Educated and supported 86 pregnant women through our Prenatal Nutrition Program
• Provided Telemedicine consults to over 540 patients

One patient whose life was changed for the better is Ana Maria. Four years ago Ana Maria resigned herself to never seeing the world again. A break in the capillaries of her eyes took away her sight and her “normal” life as a seamstress surrounded by fabrics, sewing machines and dresses in her sewing workshop in the city of Boaco.

"Then I found out that at Clínica Verde they took people to have eye surgery and I was encouraged to look for them," says the 64-year-old dressmaker. She felt a new hope for her life. After a consult and referral, Ana Maria was able to gain back 20 percent of her vision. "I thank God that I can now see where I'm going," says Ana Maria, who he is now recruiting visually impaired people to refer to Clinica Verde for help.

And there was Meyling, who at 24 is expecting her first baby. "Being a mother in the midst of a pandemic is complicated," she said. "So many fears come to mind, but I was excited to learn how to take care of my pregnancy, to nurture myself and to take care of myself emotionally through Clinica Verde's program. Now I feel I am prepared not only physically, but also emotionally. My family and I have learned a lot with the program despite the challenges of the coronavirus and the poverty we encounter each day, we at Clinica Verde in Nicaragua remain firm in our commitment to provide health and hope to families in need.

This Christmas season we want to thank all of you, our donors and friends, for your support. Without you, there would be no stories of hope such as those of Ana Maria and Meyling.

We wish you great love and many blessings during this precious holiday and in the year ahead.

Con amor,
Mary Elizabeth Flores, Rafael Morales, and The Clinica Verde Team

Links:

Happy Holidays from Clinica Verde

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 ... 27 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.