This project will fund a midwife for a year, allowing us to provide 24 hour care. Many poor women in rural Kenya do not have access to a midwife during pregnancy and birth, consequently the maternal death rate is a shocking 510 per 100,000 births, in the UK it is 9 per 100,000 (UNICEF 2015). Every woman that dies leaves a family without its principal carer. Children without a mother are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, abuse and have low academic attainment. Let's change this together.
Most poor women give birth at home in their huts, usually at night, many giving birth alone. Unimaginable in this day and age, consequently childbirth is a risky business in rural areas. Having qualified staff available in a clinic stops mothers and babies dying unnecessarily. We have built a new maternity unit but need support to employ another midwife to enable 24 hour care for all the women of childbearing age in the community. Ultimately the midwives could be delivering 100 babies per month
Women have been asking for maternity services for the past few years. We responded by building a new unit but by having another midwife we will be able to offer seamless care. We will also train our existing Community Health Workers to become Traditional Birth Attendants, which will enable them to support and educate pregnant women in their communities, encouraging them to attend for antenatal care and delivery. In an emergency they would be equipped to assist a mother during delivery.
All over the world mothers wish to give birth to a healthy baby. Our aim is to reduce the inequality in care that still exists in rural areas. Enabling women to give birth safely with a qualified midwife in attendance will reduce preventable deaths. Friends of Buburi already provide subsidised health care to this community and are trusted and respected. The service will eventually deliver 100 babies a month. Friends of Buburi believe that where you live shouldn't decide whether you live
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
