One Heart World-Wide will renovate a health post in Dhading District, central Nepal, and turn it into an equipped birthing center staffed by skilled birth attendants, the single most effective intervention to prevent maternal mortality.
The Dhading district has a population of over 300,000 but has very few roads, little to no access to electricity, limited access to clean water, and a lack of modern sanitation. Many health posts are in disrepair due to harsh weather and limited funds in the areas. Of the over 10,000 women pregnant in Dhading every year, fewer than 20% deliver with a skilled birth attendant present. In 2013 alone, 22 mothers died during childbirth and 240 babies died before turning 1 month old.
This project will help mothers-to-be by providing access to a birthing center and skilled birth attendants. We will work with the local community to renovate a former health post and stock it with essential supplies such as clean birthing kits to help mothers and babies avoid infections and medications and tools to address common delivery complications. We also train community health volunteers on safe birthing practices, and mothers are taught to share their new knowledge with their neighbors
Our goal is to educate and encourage expectant mothers in the community to seek modern maternal care and have at least one third of them come into the birthing center for 3 or more prenatal care visits. Those who come are given prenatal supplements, screened for potential complications, and prepared for delivery with a skilled birth attendant. Among those who deliver at home, we hope to increase the number of women delivering with a clean birthing kit by at least 50%.