Thank you for your interest in the Maya Midwifery International global health immersion program! The program is currently undergoing an evaluation and overhaul intended to enhance its sustainability and support for the Maya midwives it serves. We anticipate piloting the new program with select students in 2023. If you are interested in applying, please send a 1-2 page letter of interest and your resume or CV to asia@mayamidwifery.org, and we will contact you as soon as the general application period opens.
Student Immersion Program
Offered by Maya Midwifery International / ACAM
Come spend two weeks at the ACAM birth center, located in a charming mountain village in the Guatemalan Highlands. Learn by observing the Maya midwives of ACAM, the living lineage-holders of a generations-old midwifery tradition. Experience the daily life and work of this independent collective of midwives. Be mentored and supported by American certified nurse-midwives living on-site with you. Experience prenatal appointments, home visits, mobile clinics, labor and births, as well as herbal and traditional treatments melded with modern medicine and technology.
Accompany the midwives in their community development work and educational activities. Participate in guided discussions on global health issues and unique challenges to midwifery in Guatemala. Spend your weekends on field trips to volcanic hot springs, sacred Maya sites, and the culturally rich towns of Quetzaltenango and Chichicastenango.
Requirements
Applicant must be student or practicing midwife, nurse, doula, or physician and functional in Spanish.
Details
This program is an experiential service learning program, not a clinical placement. You will be observing and assisting the midwives as they engage in their clinical work, while witnessing a unique and evolving tradition of indigenous midwifery and gaining valuable global health perspectives.
There will be three or four students in a shared apartment, located within the ACAM Birth Center. Students will have a rotating call schedule for births, consults, and mobile clinic days.
An American CNM will supervise the students to support, mentor, and facilitate learning. Three field trips are included in the package.
Students should be prepared to participate in the Maya midwives’ lives. In the past, students have attended weddings and funerals in the village, witnessed shamanic healings, and been invited into the temescal. The students left feeling inspired by the midwives and with a better understanding of the joys and challenges of international work. No educational credits are presently offered, but a certificate of completion will be provided by Maya Midwifery International.
