Thanks to all of you, the Auction and Fundraiser on May 9th
at Cyprian Keyes Golf Club was a huge success. We raised $31,000 between the
weavings sale , silent and live auction items, dinner and the raffle. Over one hundred and seventy people were in
attendance and many commented on having a great time seeing old friends and
learning so much about Guatemala and its’ history.
A special thank you to Adam Motyl-Szary from www.massmonopoly.com. Adam graciously
produced the video seen at the event from a script by Nikki May and photos and
videography by Nikki May, Felipe Ixcot , and James Carbone.
Also, the Honorable James McGovern our US Congressman from
Central Massachusetts did a great job as the keynote speaker. He mentioned that
he has never seen such an outpouring of support for an organization so remote
as this midwifery center in the Western Highlands of Guatemala. He stated that letting
distant areas of the globe know that we care is a sure way of elevating our
status and promoting peace in the world.
Lastly, I will be updating all of you soon on the Center and the expansion of several life saving projects. Your generosity and kindness
mean a great deal to the villagers of Concepcion . Soon they will be seeing the
video images of all of you as you gathered to help them and their children live
a better life. They will celebrate your lives and offer ceremonies for their friends in The United
States.
Felipe and Elena and the ACAM midwives are hosting a weekly radio program on the Mam station that will treat such subjects as nutrition, services available at Casa Maternal, responsible and healthy sexuality,HIV/AIDS,and natural medicine as well as Maya cultural practices and the impact of the environment on health. The program will also be used to gain the interest of young women in midwifery. Information on health topics offered in the language of the people by trusted members of the community such as the midwives, is of critical importance. For example, cervical cancer rates in Guatemala are among the highest in Central and Latin America. A program of education and early detection will save the lives of numerous women.
Antonina Sanchez, a midwife and President of ACAM, has been chosen to be the representative of the department of Quetzaltenango to the Presidential Commission on the Rights of Women. This prestigious and demanding role, that requires sometimes bi-weekly meetings, has been undertaken by Antonina while she continues to attend births at Casa. She also plays a leadership role in the National Organization of Midwives which meets four times a year.
The ACAM meeting room is used by numerous community groups, including youth, community development, environmental and educational groups. Daniel Matul conducts weekly classes on Maya Culture, history and cosmovision that are open to everyone and are attended by illiterate farm laborers, mothers, college educated teachers and young professionals who long to know more of the ancient wisdom of the Maya.
In January, nearly 25 years after they fled their homeland, Felipe and Elena Ixcot will move into their new home, now under construction, a short distance from ACAM. Every inch of the land is planted with corn, beans, squash, potatoes and other vegetables and healing plants, a symbol of their rootedness in this land and the Maya people after so many years of exile. The fruits of their harvest feed themselves and the midwives of ACAM while they are working at Casa. Medicinal and nourishing herbs supplement those grown at the center.
