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https://reasonstobecheerful.world/caracas-mobile-gynecological-care-homelessness/>
"For the homeless women who board the Panarosa bus on the streets of Caracas,
their first point of contact might be Mariannys Quintero. Quintero, a nursing
assistant, welcomes them to the bus, where they will receive gynecological
care. She explains what they can expect and emphasizes that they are not alone.
There’s hardly a better person for this role: She was in their place less than
one year ago.
Quintero was one of the almost eight million Venezuelans who left the country —
but, after struggling in Colombia, she decided to return to Venezuela with her
10-year-old daughter while pregnant with twins. Back in Caracas, she couldn’t
figure out her living situation and ended up on the streets. A doctor at a
public health maternity hospital told her about the Panarosa, where she sought
medical attention for her high-risk pregnancy. The staff supported her through
the difficult time that followed: Quintero received necessary medical and
psychological care both during the pregnancy and after she lost the babies. A
social worker helped her find a place to live with her daughter — and start
working for the organization.
“He was like that walking stick, that support, at a moment when I was saying,
wow, I’m never getting out of this, you know?” said Quintero. “There came a
point where I felt — I imagine it’s the same thing those women feel, the ones
who are mothers or who are pregnant, when we say we have no one to help us. But
there’s always that person who offers you support, who listens to you, who
understands you, who doesn’t judge you.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
