We address:
- Lack of comprehensive sexuality education.
- Lack of quality care in public health services.
- Lack of orientation in sexual and reproductive rights.
- Lack of access to comprehensive health care (mental and physical).
- Few employment opportunities.
Little information on maternal and child nutrition.
Being a girl in Guatemala was already complicated before the arrival of the coronavirus, but the risk of becoming a victim of sexual violence has only increased with the pandemic.
From January to December 2020, 104,837 pregnancies were registered in girls between 10 and 19 years of age throughout the country. This generated an alert in the department of Sacatepéquez, as pregnancies in 2020 increased in municipalities of La Antigua (1,756 cases), Jocotenango (46 cases) and Pastores (75 cases). The question was, if all the people were locked in their homes, how did they get pregnant? Were their homes really safe places? Did they have the necessary information in the virtual classrooms?
With data from El Patojismo, the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Observatory of Sexual and Reproductive Health of Guatemala (OSAR), the Women's Observatory of the Public Ministry (MP), the International Women's Center (CIM), among other institutions, we were able to collect enough data to design a project where girls and women could attend in person, evaluate their needs and attend to them, which also included ensuring rights to which they did not have access and offering food packages, basic supplies, menstrual management material, training workshops, recreational activities, participation in different spaces, participation in development programs such as baking, jewelry making, antibacterial gel making, etc.
We designed a project with main pillars to work with girls and women due to the lack of information, safe spaces and integral health of the participants.
The project is composed of:
Comprehensive health accompaniment: Providing medical and preventive health services, including regular medical check-ups, care for common diseases, vaccinations and promotion of healthy lifestyles.
Sexual and reproductive health: Offer counseling and education on sexual and reproductive health, including information on contraceptive methods, prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, family planning and prenatal care.
Emotional and psychological support: Provide counseling and emotional support services to girls and women facing stress, trauma, gender-based violence or other emotional difficulties.
Menstruation education: Provide accurate and accessible information about menstruation, including physical changes, menstrual cycle, reproductive health and basic hygiene concepts.
Menstrual product distribution: Facilitate access to safe and appropriate menstrual products, especially for those girls and women who have financial difficulties in acquiring them.
Menstrual hygiene workshops: Conduct interactive workshops to teach proper menstrual hygiene practices, including the use and care of menstrual products, hand washing and proper menstrual waste management.
Emotional support and menstrual pain management: Providing emotional support to girls and women during their menstrual cycle, offering strategies to manage associated pain and discomfort, and providing resources to seek medical attention if needed.
Through these pillars we were able to offer not only girls and women, but also boys and adolescent boys, the possibility of being in a safe, free and dignified space where they could learn different activities, do chores and create a support network with their peers.