Lydia is a remarkably gifted woman and has proved to be a special addition to her community in Tsunkintsa. She is 25 and a mother of 7 children (her 8th child is almost due!). When Lydia was pregnant with her first child, she had a dream where a mouse appeared before her and told her that she must become a midwife. Since that dream, she has devoted her life to attending births and treating women with traditional healing plants.

With the tools provided by the Achuar facilitators in a recent Safe Birth and Family Health workshop, Lydia’s commitment to safe birthing grew deeper as she has joined the Jungle Mamas team in hopes of becoming a trained safe birth attendant.

During the workshop she shared her knowledge of various medicinal plants with the facilitators, showing how important collaboration is both inter and intra-culturally. Thanks to your contribution, Lydia has been supplied with 4 birth kits that will help her facilitate many more safe births in the community of Tsunkintsa.

Vilma most enjoyed the section of the workshop when the Achuar facilitators discussed how showing love and respect among the father and mother improves overall growth and health of the baby within the mother. Thanks to your donation, Joseph and Michael, Vilma is now assured that the birth of her second child will be a safe one!

Lucia is a 17 year old woman living in Waruintsa, a small communtiy in the jungles of Ecuador. She is now pregnant with her first child and was selected as a delegate from her community to attend the Safe Birthing and Family Health Workshop hosted by Jungle Mamas.

Many people who attended this workshop from other communities had to walk long distances through the jungle to arrive. Lucia walked four hours! She was excited to learn more about the process of safe birthing. In Achuar culture, it is typical for women to go into the jungle alone at the time of birth. Lucia stated “now I can attend my own birth safely with this kit.”

Thanks to your contribution towards assuring safe births, Vern, Lucia’s birth experience will not only have limited risks, but it will also help generate more interest in safe birth kits throughout the community of Waruintsa.

Florentina and her sister traveled from their home to Mashian, a rural village in the jungles of Ecuador where Jungle Mamas was hosting a safe birthing workshop. The two women walked for an entire day because Florentina is interested in becoming a safe birth attendant so she can help the women in her community.

Women in this region of Ecuador commonly give birth to their children alone in the jungle. Jungle Mamas works with women like Florentina so they can help themselves and women of their community, who would otherwise have no medicinal aid during their birthing process.

Florentina is a very quick learner and thanks to your donations, Chelsea, she will bring back four birth kits to her neighboring community of Kuankua! Thank you again, Chelsea, for supplying Florentina with life-long lessons and aid for her friends and family.

Christina is from Mashian, Ecuador. She walked an entire day with her 8 month old baby and sister, Florentina, in order to learn about safe birth and family health at the Jungle Mamas workshop.

Jungle Mamas helps women like Christina so they can aid their community that otherwise would have no outside medical help. Christina is continuing her training at the birth attendant workshop so members of her community do not have to give birth alone in the rain forest.

Thanks to your donations, Milind, Christina will bring 5 birthing kits back to her village along with new found knowledge that will permit her to assist many others for years to come. Thank you for your support, Milind. By helping Christina, you are helping a community.