The special event Transforming Connections was organized by the de Waal Foundation (FdW) to commemorate Mediator’s Day 2024. It was a space for recognition and learning, in which the presence of mediators in Latin America was made visible, as promoters of sustainable development, through collaboration and community training and prenatal prevention of disabilities.
Leonel LĆ³pez, director of FdW in El Salvador, inaugurated the event by highlighting the role of the PreNatal mediators, who build bridges between communities, local institutions, community leaders and strategic partners, towards a culture of prevention.
“Although on many occasions you act silently and alone, thanks to each of you for your commitment to community development in El Salvador, Honduras, Bolivia and Ecuador,” he stressed.
Isabel Moncayo, general director of the FdW, highlighted the history of this entity, which since 1985 began its work for the wellbeing of unborn children, in order to improve their capabilities, prevent possible disabilities and malformations and promote their integral development. He recalled that in Latin America between 5 and 6% of babies are born with structural or functional congenital malformations, despite the fact that these could be prevented, detected or treated during pregnancy and early childhood.
“Currently one in four people have some deficiency in their intellectual or emotional development as a result of poor preconception care during pregnancy, childbirth or early childhood,” he said.
Since 1999, with the implementation of the Prenatal Program, with its focus on the training of professionals and community leaders in the preconception prevention of disabilities with the pedagogical mediation and popular education approaches, more than 60,000 mediators and promoters have been trained in 10 Latin American countries. With institutional linkage activities, in addition to the Prenatal program, awareness-raising activities, such as workshops, fairs, campaigns and community mobilization, have reached an average of almost 100,000 people per year.
During this event, the forum “Institutional Co-responsibility in Community Development” was held, with the participation of four experts and renowned mediators, who analyzed the role of different actors in community development.
The panel was composed of: AndrĆ©s Sotomayor, PAHO consultant and partner of the Strengthening Midwives and Midwives Project in Ecuador; Roger GonzĆ”lez MejĆa director of the Educational Unit of the Tin Tin District in the municipality of Mizque in Bolivia and partner of the project Yo decido, ActĆŗo y Ejerzo mis derechos.
Also participating were Gloria Rivera, mediator and monitor of FdW in Honduras, and Karla Figueroa, also mediator and monitor of FdW projects in El Salvador. The moderator was Etna Lagos, executive director of FdW-Honduras.
This space dealt with the promotion of maternal and child health, from the exercise of sexual and reproductive health rights, the role of the communities themselves, as well as the role of various actors such as governmental institutions and international organizations.
They also discussed the importance of eliminating the barriers that impede interventions to promote maternal and child health, including the lack of training and effective information to reach out to the community and disseminate messages of prevention and change. The panelists agreed that, through comprehensive sexuality education programs, it is feasible to provide adolescents with the necessary data to make informed decisions about their health, prevent unwanted pregnancies and reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted infections, motivating empowerment and lasting change.
Each panelist detailed the successful interventions carried out in their countries. This sharing of experiences left a sum of good practices in which the role of mediators in their approach to communities, government entities and strategic partners of non-governmental organizations and other alliances, has been key. In the health and education sector, with community and religious leaders, in the formation of parent clubs, or in the work with midwives, these cases have been a demonstration of the importance of awareness campaigns on prevention, the cascade effect and the promotion of equality and access to rights.
A presentation on the new opportunities offered by the Foundation to mediators was given by Marco Vernooij, FdW’s Director for Latin America, who previously described the training models for mediators, applied over time by the Foundation, based on pedagogical mediation and awareness-raising. Currently, comprehensive interventions are being applied, applying the logic of the projects to the training of promoters and mediators, which has allowed them to maintain the link between these professionals and the different programs in which they work.
Marco addressed the mediators and recommended them “not to forget all the lessons learned and to put into practice what they have learned, in order to achieve the changes we are looking for, to make it more concrete in a focus on preventing risks or eliminating barriers to the prevention of deficiencies and diseases”.
He also pointed out that FdW’s commitment for the coming year is related to strengthening the network of mediators.
In line with this objective, this event featured the launch of the Mediator’s Kit. A tool that brings together a series of digital resources that aims to facilitate the work of mediators with the population. This compilation of printable and deliverable materials, such as leaflets, magazines, stickers, etc. on different topics, has playful designs of each of the campaigns and axes with which the Foundation works.
The presentation of this instrument was made by VerĆ³nica Clavijo, ICT coordinator for Latin America, and JosĆ© Inlasaca, head of Communications and Design at FdW.
Mediators can access these materials by becoming part of the Foundation’s network of mediators. To be part of this network it is required to have passed one of the training processes offered by the FdW and join this community, through the WhatsApp button on the website, or through a direct message from the Facebook or Instagram profiles.
The voices of mediators
The testimonies of those who are agents of change and motivate training and the adoption of healthy behaviors were an important part of this day. Different professionals and promoters from Bolivia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Honduras shared their experiences and experiences as FdW mediators.
Virginia Ovando from Bolivia
“Being a mediator for the de Waal Foundation is to be an agent of change within the educational community in which I work. During all this time, I have been learning about different strategies and work materials to raise awareness about teen pregnancy prevention and sexual and reproductive rights. I have also been working with parents on the same topics so that they can guide their children”.
Madeleine Castro from Ecuador
“A mediator is the one who sensitizes people, connecting them with social issues. He or she is also the one who generates safe spaces of trust and learning where people recognize their potential and become agents of change. Throughout this experience I have been able to work with children, adolescents, adult women and men, and also with professionals, such as educators. The beauty of living this process is that from the beginning they are given tools to make advocacy actions and begin to generate these positive impacts from their families, their jobs, their place of study, and this is how we are gradually adding more agents of change, to build together a culture of prevention”.
Ćscar MagaƱa from El Salvador
“For me being a mediator is of great importance, because it allows me to know where some disabilities and some diseases originate from, especially in the preconception stage and after birth, that has meant a lot. It has allowed me to speak with empowerment and to speak with confidence about these issues. Also in my personal experience, I was a premature child, so now I fully understand what were the causes of my birth in these circumstances. It has been very rewarding to have this course, as it now allows me to speak to others to guide and educate them on these issues.”
MarĆa JosĆ© Pineda from Honduras
“Iam proud to be a mediator for the de Waal Foundation. To be a mediator for the Foundation is to be an agent of change for the future of thousands of children. My role as a mediator has been to foster changes in community knowledge and behavior because we are promoters of a culture of prenatal and postnatal prevention, to avoid diseases and deficiencies that can cause disabilities in babies, from pregnancy to the age of two. My experience with the Foundation has been unique: the commitment to prevention and child health, the opportunity for learning and personal growth, the desire to positively impact the community, and the values such as equality, teamwork and respect for diversity. Being a mediator is not just a job, it is a commitment to life and the wellbeing of new generations”.
Check out more testimonials and experiences from our network of mediators and re-watch the event Connections that Transform: