Wilfredo is 38 years old and lives in a small city in the southern Guatemalan province of Escuintla. He works as a volunteer nurse, and also runs a pharmacy and a barbershop. Last year, Wilfredo participated in the men’s workshops that WINGS provided in his community. He felt that the information covered in the workshops was so important that when the workshops ended he volunteered to become a WINGS for Men peer educator. Wilfredo was trained by WINGS as an educator in January 2009. He is now working in his community to distribute information about reproductive health, family planning methods, and sexually-transmitted infections, while also selling condoms at a reduced rate. Last month he helped a young man with a sexually-transmitted infection find a clinic where he could receive treatment and provided him with information about prevention so that he would be protected in the future. Throughout 2009, WINGS for Men will be training additional peer educators like Wilfredo who are committed to helping their communities through reproductive health education.
Porfiria is a 32-year-old street vendor and mother of six children. Her husband is living in the United States, but plans to move back to Guatemala soon. Her husband’s imminent return prompted Porfiria’s desire to have a tubal ligation as she felt that their economic situation would not allow them to support more children. She found out about the work of WINGS through our partner organization APROFAM. At first Porfiria’s husband did not support her decision to get a tubal ligation. He had heard people say that women who used family planning were more promiscuous. However, after a long discussion about their future, Porfiria and her husband both agreed that she should go ahead with the surgery. Porfiria now feels that she will be able to enjoy more freedom in her sexual relationship with her husband, as an unintended pregnancy is no longer a risk. She hopes that her children will be able to attain a higher level of education than she and her husband have, and that they will excel in their studies and not get sidetracked by drugs or gangs. Because of her experience, Porfiria has become a strong supporter of WINGS’ work in the community. She has spoken to numerous other women about her operation and encouraged them to think about planning their own families.
Alba, 32, already had five children when she recently decided to get a tubal ligation. From her small village, Alba had to walk approximately five miles to Yepocapa, where WINGS had helped to coordinate a mobile clinic providing low-cost voluntary sterilizations. Although she had wanted to undergo the operation for at least a year, she didn’t have the economic resources to do so. Alba’s husband is a farm worker and gives her Q180 (about $24) per week to provide for an extended family of eight. Luckily, because WINGS subsidized her operation, Alba was finally able to take control of her reproductive life. “I thank God for the help that WINGS brought me,” she said.
Luz is a 28-year-old nurse and volunteer family planning promoter in Zaragoza. She has been working with WINGS for two years to provide family planning education and short-term contraceptive methods to members of her community. She was first inspired to join WINGS’ promoter network because of her experiences volunteering with a youth group. She realized that the young people she worked with had limited knowledge of sexual and reproductive health, and were not able to protect themselves from sexually-transmitted infections or unwanted pregnancies. Now people in the community know that she offers access to family planning methods at an affordable price, or for free if they cannot afford to pay the nominal fee. They often feel more comfortable contacting her than visiting one of the four pharmacies in town because there is still significant stigma attached to family planning in the community. Luz believes that these services not only help people on an individual level, but also contribute to Guatemala’s long term development by reducing poverty and helping families to manage their limited resources.