Guatemala Youth Initiative
By Susan Anderson-Ray
Yasmin* was 19 when she discovered her pregnancy, and like many teenage mothers, she quickly realized that the father of the baby would not be a part of their lives. So many young women near the landfill experience maternity not only as teenagers, but also as single parents. When Yasmin heard about our Pregnancy Preparation workshops, she knew that it was the place for her.She attended workshops about preparation for birth, development milestones, nutrition, spacing childbirth and more alongside a dozen other pregnant teenagers from her community.During the workshop series, she discussed her fears and her questions about motherhood, and planned for her next chapter.
After the birth of her son, Yasmin has made the most of our early childhood stimulation classes, reaching out to our staff for one-on-one consultations about breastfeeding, and recently opted for contraception to dedicate more time to her son, Martin. Now 20, Yasmin is embracing motherhood joyfully, with consistent support from our staff and other young mothers.
Sophie Swallow, member of the St. Stephen’s congregation has been working with Guatemala Youth Initiative (GYI) for 4 years now. GYI is a small non profit that operates within the marginalized communities surrounding the Guatemala City landfill. The mission of GYI is to prevent unplanned teenage pregnancy, promote gender equality, and empower young mothers. In 2021, GYI reached thousands of youth, many of whom have similar stories to Yasmin.
GYI was founded in 2013 by Virginian Episcopal missionary, Greg Lowden, and pivoted to focus on sexual and reproductive health in 2018 after a revealing study conducted with local youth. When Sophie joined GYI in 2018, she helped launch their sexual education and youth leadership program, promote the free contraceptive clinic that GYI runs with WINGS Guatemala, and to connect young mothers to new services. Sophie returned to Middlebury College in 2019, but continued to work remotely with GYI until her graduation last spring.
St. Stephen’s has played a critical role in the growth of GYI and in Sophie’s own life. In 2020, the Outreach Committee supported GYI with funding that allowed for the purchase of the necessary equipment to provide safe, long acting contraceptive methods within GYI’s youth center on a daily basis. This expansion allowed for the GYI free clinic to prevent over 1000 unplanned pregnancies in 2021. When Sophie was selected for the Young Adult Service Corps by the National Episcopal Church to continue her work with GYI, St. Stephen’s supported her with funding until the National Church’s stipend arrived. St. Stephen’s continues to support Sophie’s ministry with GYI and the Diocese of Guatemala.
GYI, and Sophie herself, are incredibly grateful for the ongoing partnership with St. Stephen’s. What a blessing it is to feel support from afar and work together towards a shared mission in Christ.
For more information or questions, please contact Sophie at sophie.swallow.1@gmail.com or check out GYI’s website: www.iniciativaguatemala.org
