Gender Equality Syrian Arab Republic Project #7106

Help Pregnant Moms Give Birth Safely in Disasters

by USA for UNFPA

Help Pregnant Moms Give Birth Safely in Disasters

Project Report | May 1, 2017
Pregnancy complications on an island off of Kenya

By Friends of UNFPA | Friends of UNFPA

Aisha gave birth on a remote island in Kenya

Pregnancy complications take one woman from island paradise to nightmare at sea

Aisha, now 30, nearly died during the birth of her fifth child.

Aisha lives on a tropical island, Kiwayuu, off the northern coast of Kenya where there are no health facilities and the nearest hospital is on the Lamu Island and can only be accessed by motorboat over wild ocean waves, which could take up to seven hours. As a result of these circumstances, Aisha and other women on the island give birth at home with the help of a traditional birth attendant that usually has limited skills and knowledge.

“In the event of pregnancy-related complications, or even maternal deaths, we would conclude that it was God’s will,” Aisha said.

Aisha had given birth at home to her first four babies with no complications, but this time was different. As soon as she went into labor, she began to hemorrhage dangerously and the traditional birth attendant did not know what to do. “I couldn’t stop the bleeding. No one could,” she said.

Aisha was suffering from a life-threatening complication and needed urgent medical attention. She was forced to take the journey by motorboat to the hospital on Lamu Island. The waters were rough, yet Aisha had to continue her painful and difficult labor as she continued to bleed. She delivered the baby after 30 minutes and luckily survived.

At the King Fahad County Referral Hospital on Lamu Island, she was treated for the hemorrhage and her baby was diagnosed with low birth weight from intrauterine growth restriction.It is possible that malnutrition or anemia contributed to these conditions, most likely as a result of no antenatal care.

“As a marginalized community, we were ignorant about the importance of antenatal care, largely because we didn’t have a health facility in Kiwayuu.” Aisha said.

Complications such as this one can be solved by increasing access to proper reproductive health care, including antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and safe delivery services. Providing these services would ensure that women can have a safe birth.

UNFPA has partnered with the local government to do just this. They opened a health facility on the island of Kiwayuu where maternal and newborn health equipment and medicines as well as family planning supplies are available for the 600 residents of the island. UNFPA has also trained health workers to provide emergency obstetric and newborn care.

One of these trained health workers is Aisha. She says, “I now work in my community to raise awareness about maternal mortality, its prevention, and access to maternal and child health services.” Thanks to UNFPA and skilled health workers like Aisha, women on the island of Kiwayuu have access to maternal and newborn health care that allows them to have a safe birth.

UNFPA’s clean delivery kits contain basic items necessary for a safe birth, including sterile gloves, a blanket, a plastic sheet, and soap. For only $15 you can help UNFPA provide 3 emergency clean delivery kits to women without access to maternal health services.

Aisha now trains women on maternal care with UNFPA

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Jan 31, 2017
Safe Birth for South Sudanese Refugees

By Communications | Friends of UNFPA

Years of conflict in South Sudan has left more than 5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance. Adama Dieng, the United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, recently said “there is a strong risk of violence escalating along ethnic lines, with the potential for genocide”.

Leaving the danger in South Sudan along with many others, the Anduga family fled across the Nimbule border to escape from and settle in Maaji, one of the numerous refugee settlements throughout the Adjumani District in Northern Uganda.

Although the Anduga family arrived safely in Uganda, their worries and fears did not disappear. Ms. Anduga fled while pregnant with her third child and was unsure about giving birth in this new environment. Fortunately, Ms. Anduga was approached by a community volunteer and notified about the life-saving services provided by UNFPA to ensure safe births, even in this humanitarian setting.

Both Mr. and Ms. Anduga went to a nearby UNFPA supported health facility for pre-natal care and went back the morning Ms. Anduga went into labor. The midwife on duty made sure that she gave birth to a healthy baby girl with no complications.

Now both Mr. and Ms. Anduga spread the word about UNFPA supported health facilities throughout the refugee settlement to ensure all refugees have access to proper care and safe births.

"I will continue to encourage my fellow men to escort their wives during antenatal care visits and during labor so that they understand what women go through during this process," Mr. Anduga said. "Most importantly, women require special care during these times."

UNFPA provides a wide range of support beyond safe births to South-Sudan refugees living in the Adjumani District of Uganda. This includes strengthening the health system, providing health care and education, and preventing and responding to gender-based violence. In addition, UNFPA distributes reproductive health kits to healthcare workers and supplies dignity kits, which contain vital hygiene items including menstrual pads and soap to women and girls.

A donation of only $25 can provide one woman in a humanitarian setting with a dignity kit that provides hygiene essentials for six months, ensuring that she is able to maintain her dignity and health in emergency situations.

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Nov 1, 2016
Safe Birth During Hurricane Matthew

By Friends of UNFPA | Project Leader

Marie delivered 6 babies the night of theHurricane

Nurse Marie-Lyrette was the only midwife on duty in the maternity unity of St. Antoine Hospital in Jeremie, Haiti when Hurricane Matthew struck.

That night, Nurse Marie-Lyrette safely delivered six babies by flashlight. “I tried to reassure them,” she said, even as she was wracked with fear herself. Still, she said, “I had to stay in the hospital to work. My professional conscience wouldn’t have let me leave. I couldn’t have left the women there to die.”Fortunately, she reported that her maternity unit saw no deaths on that perilous evening, but not all maternal units were so lucky.

23 out of 26 health facilities in Grand’Anse and Nippes counties were affected by the storm, including Nurse Marie-Lyrette’s facility. Of the 11 facilities in Grand'Anse alone, two were completely destroyed, two were closed, none have power or water, and all require health workers.

Currently, Haiti has the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere, and as a result of this recent disaster, the rate of maternal mortality is at risk of becoming even worse. Women and girls in Haiti now face a lack of access to proper health care, they risk increased exposure to gender based violence (GBV) and diseases such as cholera and Zika. To address these problems, UNFPA has begun distributing clean delivery kits to the most affected areas to ensure that women and girls have access to care and that this rate of maternal mortality does not increase.

UNFPA’s clean delivery kits contain basic items necessary for a safe birth, including sterile gloves, a blanket, a plastic sheet, and soap. For only $11 you can help UNFPA provide 3 emergency clean delivery kits to women without access to maternal health services.

The health workers who remain face challenging times ahead. Among the population affected by the hurricane, there are more than 546,000 women and girls of reproductive age, who will all need quality health care. In the affected areas, more than 13,650 pregnant women are set to give birth in the next three months.

A donation of only $25 can provide one woman in a humanitarian setting such as the Haiti with a dignity kit that provides hygiene essentials for six months, ensuring that she is able to maintain her dignity and health in emergency situations.

“Our urgent task is to protect the health and rights of women and girls, and to ensure that their basic needs, which are often overlooked in humanitarian situations, are quickly met,” said UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin.

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