With Weyerhaeuser’s support, we developed a project focused on increasing knowledge of reproductive health and family planning, as well as access to contraception. In 2013 this project, Family Planning Champions, finally launched.
At the start of each year, ten women (the champions) take part in a series of trainings on reproductive health. The champions take what they have learned to their communities, leading community workshops to equip other women with this knowledge. Since 2013, we have trained 30 women as Family Planning Champions and educated even more women in rural Guatemalan communities on reproductive health.
“Here at the clinic, women who are interested in family planning can come and find out which type of contraception best fits their needs. This includes women part of Family Planning Champions who receive subsidized birth control through Pueblo a Pueblo,” explained Dr. Maritza Alvarez, the clinic’s general doctor.
After visiting Rxiin Tnamet, the Weyerhaeuser group had the opportunity to speak to three former Family Planning Champions and hear how this project has affected them personally. “Before I joined the FPC project, I already had two children who were less than 1 year apart. When I began to attend the FPC trainings, it was the first time in my life that I learned about reproductive health or family planning,” formed FPC beneficiary Juana Botan explained.