Did you know that 7/10 expectant mothers have at least one issue in accessing maternal care services, 56% of which have problems with distance &/or travel to clinics? One of these women was Mala.
Mala’s Story: A Life-Changing Bus Journey
When you take the bus, how long do you usually have to wait at the stop, and how long does it take to reach your destination? 10 minutes longer than usual? For us, even that extra length of time can cause unrest; we feel stressed that we will be late to work or our appointment, and frustrated that our day is not going the way we planned. For Mala however, each extra minute she spent on her bus was the difference between life and death.
Mala was in labour, and visited her nearest clinic in Malawi for support. This clinic however, did not offer any maternity services, and with no other choice, she had to take the bus to reach a different clinic. Due to delays, a lack of accessible maternal care nearer to her, and a prolonged travel on the bus, Mala and her unborn child sadly passed away during her journey.
Make This Christmas Count: Support Our Maternal Care Project
Mala did not have to die on the bus whilst in labour. With easier access to maternal health services, and quality medical consultations & support, she would not have had to take that extra bus journey at all, and could have safely given birth in a clinic with trained staff around her.
At Doctors Worldwide, we are working in rural areas of Malawi to increase access to maternity healthcare for those like Mala through rebuilding strategically placed maternity clinics, alongside the development of a sustainable, community-led Ambu-bike transport system for local mothers in labour who cannot afford the cost and difficulty of taking public transport whilst experiencing birthing complications. This project will therefore result in the reduction of maternal deaths as well as increasing the uptake of mother and baby health checks/antenatal/postnatal checks (checks that identify complications that are easily treatable if caught at the right time).
Last year, through our maternal care projects, 403 babies were safely delivered as a result of your kind donations. This Christmas, help us to continue serving local communities in Malawi and save/change many more lives. Spread kindness and make every penny spent this season count towards something life-changing and long-lasting.
Make It Count - our winter campaign: https://bit.ly/3bcDsHo
Support our work today: https://bit.ly/3mbS9AO
