General Description:  

The Center for Indigenous women in Turrialba is part of an international  Action Program in Costa Rica. The center provides a safe, comfortable place for Cabecar mothers, who must journey long hours on foot to have access to medical care, in the days just before and after the birth of a child or in the event of the hospitalization of a child. Additionally, the Center provides health education workshops and resources for Cabecar mothers. 

Mission: lower infant and maternal mortality rates and increase the overall health of Cabecer children in their first year of life.

Possible activities interns:

Your job will start at 14:00 in the afternoon. Your schedule can be from 14:00 till 20:00 (for the days that you want) You first will be presented to the ladies present at the hostel since some changes might have taken place during the night and morning. As a intern you are expected to prepare and have educational talks& workshops for them about a.o.:

- childcare

- preparation for birth

- birthcontrol

- breastfeeding

- woman's rights

- domestic violence

- nutrition

- accompany the women at their hospital visits, etc.

You can teach by giving workshops and giving individual advice  but also in a more organic way, during your interaction with them. Also you can help out with the program for the little children (play, paint, teach them healthy habits like toothbrushing), help preparing dinner, make the beds, talk to the mothers (there is a high percentage of teen mothers), hold babies while mothers can do something else they need to do.  These housely activity make it easier to gain trust and styart a conversation with the women.

An important project that can be started by the intern is: Develop a long-term, follow-up program to make sure contact with the mothers will be maintained. An idea is to implement a child development plan in which on a structural base mothers come to the center to keep educating themselves. There is a desk with laptop at the house where you can work. 

Students in social legal counseling can help this women by researching their rights and by helping the women to get to know their rights and the ways to execute this. For example a brochure about this in simple words and a clear explenation about theis possibilities and contact information would be a very good contribution for this foundation.

Guidance:

The President of the Asociation,  Executive Director will be your supervisor. She will be available for your questions and weekly evaluations. She has a degree in Psychology and also has a Doula certificate. Her first language is English but she also speaks Spanish at a high level. 

Remarks:

The shelter is opened 7 days a week, every day of the year. There are 16 beds available.  The intern can help preparing afternoon coffee + bread and dinner and the intern can share this food with the users of the hostel. A table with computer is available for use by the intern. 

Interested?

On-Stage Latin America provides many internships for all kinds of study programs. Besides the available vacancies on the website, we also offer a wide range of other internships. If you have a specific request, send us an e-mail and we will do our best to help you,

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