I've gotten my placement from Maximo Nivel and will be working at a local clinic in Antigua in the mornings. I will likely have my afternoons free, so I'm talking with local organizations to try to find a school interested in spearheading a sexual and reproductive health workshop. More than half of Guatemala's residents live in poverty and health care provisions in Guatemala are lacking, leading women and children to suffer. Many women want to use contraceptives, but don't have access to them and as a result, the average woman in Guatemala gives birth to more than 4 children in her lifetime. Of the poorest women, only 5% use modern contraceptives and as a result, the average number of children per woman jumps to nearly 8.

In 2005, the government of Guatemala passed a family planning law that required sex ed in school, but even in 2009 this measure was far from being implemented. This law allows for access to birth control, but in the rural and poverty stricken areas has not necessarily been implemented. I'm working with friends here to try to put together lesson plans to run an after school workshop focusing on hygiene and sexual health. One of my friends here spent 15 months in Guatemala and is talking to her friends in Guatemala City to see if any are interested in helping me teach or helping me find somewhere to host this workshop.

Something else I'm excited about is meeting with advocates of Tierra Viva. While in Guatemala, I'm hoping to meet with people working at Tierra Viva, the only feminist organization currently in Guatemala that is raising awareness about birth control as a public health and women's rights issue. They're based in Guatemala City, which is only an hour from Antigua. This organization is working with other feminist organizations across the country to build a support network to reduce the death and suffering women and their families face. I'm hoping to meet with supporters of Tierra Viva while in Guatemala and discuss what things I can do back at Dartmouth to support their organization.

I'm hoping it will be a busy, fulfilling and fun 18 days in Guatemala. Keep checking back for more posts as it gets closer to the departure time!

About me & my trip!

November Update:

While I'm still using this blog to chronicle my journey, I'm also going to take advantage of this blog as a means of sharing information about issues relevant to women today both here and abroad!

Original Entry:

I'm Erin Klein and a junior at Dartmouth College. I am spending September, October and November volunteering around Hanover, NH then traveling to Guatemala in December to volunteer in a medical clinic. I will be living with a host family in Antigua and spending two weeks working for Maximo Nivel. Clinics for low income families in La Antigua and the surrounding areas tend to be under-funded and under-staffed. During my time here I will be assisting the nurses, doctors and clinic managers who work to provide medical care to impoverished communities though outreach clinics. I will be helping patients and staff directly though preparing patients to meet with physicians, which will include conducting patient histories and taking vital signs. In addition, I will hopefully be facilitating sexual and reproductive health workshops or volunteering in an HIV/AIDS clinic during the afternoons.

During my time at Dartmouth I have worked as a clinic manager at a clinic in White River Junction, Vermont, which provides free healthcare and health education to uninsured adults. I also conduct research on global Tuberculosis and HIV with a Dartmouth professor. Through my time in Guatemala, I hope to learn more about rural medicine and how I can contribute to improving global health, which I hope to make my career focus.

Maximo Nivel is an organization that helps partner volunteers with local organizations in need of additional help throughout South America and Latin America. I hope to raise $1500 to use to purchase medical supplies prior to departing, to donate directly to the clinic and to make it possible for me to volunteer. If you have any interest in assisting in funding this effort email me at erin.e.klein.13@dartmouth.edu!