April 18, 2012
Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you well! I am currently finishing up my first year of the nursing program at UW-Madison. This summer I am traveling to a rural village in Guatemala for one month (May 17th – June 17th) to live with a traditional midwife and assist her with prenatal and postnatal care of mothers throughout her community, as well as attend births. I am very excited about this opportunity as it involves Spanish, public health, midwifery, and learning about traditional Mayan culture. I was matched with a midwife through a non-profit organization called Midwives for Midwives that is based in New York and operates in Antigua, Guatemala.
This is not a school-affiliated program and I am going independently to volunteer as an apprentice. I feel this opportunity will further develop my skills and knowledge as a nursing student planning to become a Nurse Midwife in the future.
The total cost of the trip will be around $1400 which includes the flight and a weekly pay of $150 to the midwife I will be living with for food and housing. At this point in my life, I am unable to fund this trip on my own and cannot use student loans because the program is not affiliated with UW-Madison.
Any financial contribution to this wonderful opportunity for me would be greatly appreciated if you are willing and able to do so. If you would like to make a donation, please send a check made out to me to the address below.
More information about the program can be found at the organization’s website: midwivesformidwives.org
I will also be journaling my experience in the blog I previously used for my Peru trip: emilyandheradventures.blogspot.com
Thank you and best wishes,
Emily Welch
erwelch@wisc.edu
219 West Gilman Street #2
Madison, WI 53703
