Over the past few months, volunteers from around the country have traveled to Puerto Rico, joining local volunteers completing data entry for the MANA Stats Puerto Rico project. This project aims to examine the outcomes and practices of community-based midwifery care for improving maternal and infant health in Puerto Rico. More than 150 hours of volunteer time have gone into the effort so far.

Pictured here are Hilary Schlinger, CNM, MS, CPM-retired (project volunteer), Courtney Jackson (project assistant), Courtney Everson, PhD (Director of Research Education, MANA DOR), and Holly Horan, MA (project coordinator), at the local non-profit Mujeres Audando Madres, which provides maternal and infant health care services.

An anonymous donor provided funds to hire local people to enter data, taking the burden off the midwives themselves. Housing was also provided in the month of November for a group of MANA volunteers to go to Puerto Rico and give the project a kick start.