Partner for Surgery is on the front lines of medical and surgical care in rural Guatemala, helping impoverished Guatemalans living in remote locations. Tens of thousands of Guatemalan children and their families have received medical attention and health education, and more than 8,000 people have received access to surgery, since Partner for Surgery was founded in 2001.
Our staff is present year-round in Guatemala, building trust locally. From our Guatemalan Health Promoters, to our network of Rural Midwives, to our medical teams in the field or at our surgical facility, we bridge the language, distance, and cultural barriers, making each patient’s long trip from their village and back home again a safe one.
Areas
Partner for Surgery provides resources and logistical support in four distinct areas:
Nutritional assistance for children with cleft lip/palate.
Mobile Medical and Surgical Team missions.
Cervical cancer screening and treatment.
Escort, interpretation and support for the surgical journey.
Goals
With our activities we aim to:
Improve Health
Empower Communities
Reduce Poverty
Overcome Barriers
How are we doing this?
- Partnering with rural midwives to identify cleft patients upon birth;
- Screening for and treating cervical cancer;
- Building sustainable health programs for rural Guatemalan communities, as well as the infrastructure that enables them to access quality medical and surgical care;
- Sharing testimonials and videos that encourage community participation in health care activities and empower people to make decisions about their own health;
- Training local leaders we call Health Promoters to overcome language and cultural barriers, building trust among rural Mayans;
- Empowering youth to help their communities through rural radio programs.
The continuum of care Partner for Surgery provides is unique in Guatemala.
