August 11, 2007

Today, I sat down with the two operative staff members of COMPITCH, Ana and Juan Ignacio.

COMPITCH is integrated by 17 organizations with the objective to recover, defend and develop the practice of traditional medicine and knowledge of the indigenous community in Chiapas.

I had spent one day at its regional forum, and I was curious to see how just two people had planned such a large event.

Several representative leaders of the 17 organization members of COMPITCH were in the office to welcome me.

Don Arturo from the community of Margaritas asked me what I thought about the forum. I told him I was excited to have been there even if it was only one day, but I could already see the impact the gathering was making among the midwives present there. In addition, I'd enjoyed seeing how participative the midwives had been in their work groups.

Doña Francisca, another representative leader, said that actually this was the first time the forum had brought such a high level of participation because they were able to bring so many midwives. On other occasions, when COMPITCH tried to bring midwives together, they would get busy at the last minute because of women going into labor and would send community members instead. These members usually would not understand these gatherings and therefore, would not participate. This time, the midwives did come and thus, encouraged the constant dialogue among them.

From the brief conversation I had with these representative leaders, I noticed just two COMPITCH staff hadn't coordinated the forum, but it had been an enormous group effort from the 17 organizations that made the forum such a huge success. Without them, there would not have been the extensive outreach or planning for the forum to happen.

Talking to Ana and Juan Ignacio, demonstrated to me their depth of information in all biodiversity-related themes. They keep themselves updated on all the recent laws, actions, campaigns and research to be always prepared to protect natural resources.

COMPITCH's first priority is health for all communities - to the point that they will sacrifice their own salaries if it meant the money will help cure someone's sickness. COMPITCH is continually working and mobilizing to protect the indigenous culture, local biodiversity and the practice of traditional medicine in Chiapas. COMPITCH exists because the Mexican government is not encouraging these crucial elements to survive. Someone has to defend every citizen's right to healthcare, whether it is in the hospital or in nature.

At the office, Ana and Juan Ignacio are working seven days a week with few resources for this defense. I don't know how they manage but their determination to do the right thing, in spite of the odds, to ensure everyone's right to have good health is clear and inspiring. Money will not be an obstacle to them. Their work continues and one can be guaranteed that COMPITCH is not going to go away any time soon.

Katherine

Labels: Compitch, IDEX, Mexico, midwives, San Cristobal de las Casas, traditional healing

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