Healthcare to Save Mothers and Babies

Activities are progressing well in the three new villages in which the KIDS FOR KIDS' programme has been launched in the latter part of 2010. The villages have appointed their Village Development Committees and Animal Loan Committees and these committees are currently receiving training in management techniques as they will be responsible for running the various activities in the villages. The communities have also selected the poorest families to receive goat and donkey loans to provide them with a livelihood. These families are currently being trained in improved animal husbandry techniques and then they will be assisted to purchase their goats and donkeys in the local market.

Most importantly the villages have also each selected two women to be trained as village midwives. When trained the women in the villages will have trained experts on hand for the first time. They will provide ante-natal services for the mothers and will be able to identify women at risk at an early stage and refer them to the local hospital for more expert advice. Since many women experience difficulties in childbirth and maternal mortality is very high in the villages, this is a service which the women are eagerly awaiting. The Programme Manager is currently in discussion with the Ministry of Health and we hope that the new training course for the midwives will commence in a few months time. The Programme Manager is also discussing with the Ministry of Health the construction of a Midwives Training School in Mellit in the north of the province and KIDS FOR KIDS is actively raising funds for the construction of the School. This will enable more midwives to be trained for the villages.