Con Madre

“Every two minutes, a woman dies of complications related to pregnancy or childbirth—that’s about 720 deaths every day. But 98 percent of those are preventable”. To combat the highest mortality rates in Central America, indigenous women in Guatemala are taking safe pregnancy care into their own hands.

National Geographic partnered with Every Mother Counts to feature “Con Madre,” a short documentary film highlighting the importance of midwifery care in Guatemala, one of the most dangerous countries in Central America to give birth. Every Mother Counts, founded by Christy Turlington Burns, a model, filmmaker, and entrepreneur who advocates for global maternal health is a maternal health care nonprofit dedicated to making pregnancy and childbirth safe for every mother, everywhere.

The film follows Erika and Dora Maria, students training to be the first university-level midwives (parteras) in the country, as they return to their hometowns in the rural, Indigenous communities of Guatemala.

Janet Jarman, the photographer, lives here in San Miguel and will present the film, along with Clancy McCarty, Director and Producer.