Women's Informal Education at Friendship Bridge

Last week the moms came to el centro aprendizaje instead of the jovenes (teens) I had been working with. And we still had the afternoon groups of the younger kids.
Victoria taught the lesson which was about moms' health and family planning, and it was such fuj to hear the women giggle and laugh in comraderie over many of the topics. One day I hired a translator so I could understand the clients' comments which were typically spoken in Ixil. (SOme of the women, in fact, speak only Ixil; no SPanish.) I met Maria, who translated for me, at the women's artesania cooperative here, when she began to speak to me in English. Very unusual around here! Having her there also enabled me to have a chat with the group of women after Victoria's lesson..about education and their kids. For the most part their kids ARE in school...it is just that they cannot help them with their schoolwork. SO Friendship BRidge offers a lifeline of tutoring, support classes, and assistance, so that the kids can get help with their homework and succeed in school.

Victoria's lesson dealt with family planning and how it effects maternal health to have children really close together. The poster in the photo shows a pregnant woman with a toddler in tow and I think three other kids....and the women were asked to discuss this situation. It was similar to the lesson Diego delivered out in the field, but this one was more comprehensive and dealt specifically with methods of birth control, including condom use demonstrated with a banana..hence the giggles. Also discuused was the reality that with fewer kids, it is easier to afford to send them to school and help them do well.

This is a subject I had contemplated at home, the notion of encouraging women here to use birth control. And I have struggled to know if that is just me assuming my western standard is also better here, and wondering how appropriate that is. Certainly in years past, the more children there were, the more hands there were to help with the work. And to take care of one in old age. But as it turns out it amounts to the 20-35 year old set here having embraced a new way of thinking, embracing the available health care, and encouraging others in their community to do the same.

The other part of the lesson was about cervical cancer and strongly encouraging the women to be screened at the clinic with Pap Smears. Cervical cancer is a big killer here, but women hesitate to be screened out of traditionaol modesty and of course just fear.

So it was an informative week, for the women (a different group each day, many hiking in from neighboring aldeas), and for me!

In the afternoons all week I did an Enlish lesuson for the little kids....the ABC song, colors, numbers, and Dck Duck Goose!