Prevent and Detect Cervical Cancer in Guatemala

We are so grateful to each of our supporters for celebrating our 20th anniversary with us throughout this entire year. We are proud to report that while this year has presented many challenges, WINGS is going strong. In the face of the ongoing pandemic, we continued to complete cervical cancer screenings at every possible opportunity. This year we reached 2,915 individuals, bringing us to a total of 69,191 individuals screened since 2001. 

Our 2021 cervical cancer screening results of 2,915 women screened represents 90% of our projection for 2021. We attribute this departure from our goal to structural restrictions that limited the number of tubal ligations we were able to complete - a procedure normally accompanied by a cervical cancer screening. This was due to the reduced number of hospitals where we could complete these services, as pandemic-related care took priority. We are proud of what we accomplished in 2021 and are confident that we will continue to find creative ways to provide the care our patients need.

In addition to clinical highlights, last year we also launched our first Community Advisory Board, established a legacy giving program, and grew our social media engagement of our Youth Peer Education Program. We did all of this while acting as a national leader in pandemic precaution adherence, as well as welcoming a new Executive Director.

These notable accomplishments in building an ever stronger community of supporters means that we can look forward to providing even more reproductive health services over the next 20 years.

Thank you for being a part of this journey with us,

The entire team at WINGS Guatemala

In the past few weeks at the helm of WINGS, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the incredible work that we have been doing for the past 20 years. As we look to finish up this year, I have specifically been reflecting on WINGS’ goals and practices around diversity, equity and inclusion, something that has always been central to our mission and vision and is only that much more relevant and necessary as we embark on our next 20 years of organizational growth and success.

Knowing that the content of our work pulls on diverse and complex cultural contexts, taboos, and values and requires that patients feel trust and deep respect from our staff, WINGS makes a point of hiring staff from the communities we serve. In 2021, we launched our first Community Advisory Board, ensuring that the voices of our patients, community partners, and program participants are meaningfully reflected in our program design and evaluation. To ensure transparency and accountability, this advisory board has direct communication with staff leadership as well as with our Board of Directors. The person-centered work culture of trust, care, and open dialogue that we have established at WINGS has laid the groundwork for us to now dig into more complex DEI work as a team. This must include both inward and outward focused needs - working, for example, to make our services more accessible to marginalized groups including indigenous communities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and individuals with disabilities, but also looking at how, as a team, we might better listen and understand the diverse representation that exists on our staff, and create hiring and staff development practices that hold space for increased diversity, equity, and inclusion over time.

While the implications of the global COVID-19 pandemic continue to guide our daily routines at WINGS, I am excited to look toward the future, knowing that we are always striving to make our service delivery and our workplace even more inclusive.

We are so grateful to our supporters for making the past 20 years possible and we look forward to sharing with you as we embark on the next 20 years together.