Help Reduce Maternal Mortality in Ghana

Summary

This project is expected to reduce the number of expectant mothers who loose their lives as a result of preventable pregnancy related complications including childbirth through training of community birth attendants to provide first line support before the health professional is reached.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

The Jasikan District has one of the highest maternal and child mortality rates in the Volta Region of Ghana. Lack of adequate healthcare facilities in the district has resulted in many home deliveries which are attended to by untrained family members and untrained birth attendants who can not identify complications during labour and postpartum period. This situation accounts for the increasing maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the district.

How will this project solve this problem?

Trained community birth attendants will provide first-line home based birth attendants which will help save the lives mothers and their babies in the selected communities. The trained birth attendants will also provide health education on mother and child care during the post postpartum period, exclusive breastfeeding, malaria prevention and refer any complications identified to the nearest health center.

Potential Long Term Impact

Expectant mothers in the target communities where health care is hard to reach will have increased access to basic ante natal, delivery and post natal services from trained community birth attendants. The trained birth attendants will educate expectant mothers on the possible effects of harmful traditional practices on their health and refer complicated pregnancies to hospitals for a more professional care.Birth attendants will keep constant contact with mothers in the target communities.

Project Message

" The death of a women during and after childbirth is completely unacceptable. A woman's location cannot be an excuse to die while seeking to be a mother "
- Theresa Swanzy-Baffoe, Project Manager

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).

Resources