A health centre for expectant mums in Rwanda

Josephine’s first child died at the age of just two. She was unable to get him to the health centre located a two-hours’ walk away in time to get him the medical help he desperately needed. When she gave birth to her second child, she then had to be carried in agony to the hospital by a neighbour and only narrowly escaped death.

In Rwanda thousands of women in labour have bled to death before they could reach medical help. Having to be carried in a hammock over uneven roads can cause problems for both women and their babies, and assistance is far from guaranteed as fellow villagers often don’t want to run the risk of being soaked in the rain and getting sick, or can’t afford to miss a day’s pay.

“The end of a nightmare”

Since Save the Children helped the Rwandan Ministry of Health build a health centre in her village in the North Province of Rwanda, Josephine has given birth to two more healthy children (pictured above). Fewer mothers and infants are now dying unnecessarily from problem births and other preventable causes.

“Having a health centre here in Gahunga is like the end of a nightmare,” she said. “We will no longer need to walk long distances for treatment, delivery or vaccines. When our children start being sick we’ll be able to walk there, get treatment and come back home to carry on with our work. I want to reward those who helped to build it and tell them thank you for helping us to stay healthy and save our children.”

Save the Children is now working to ensure that communities in the Burera and Gicumbi districts of Rwanda have easier access to basic healthcare services by 2012.  As well as helping with medical emergencies, local health centres mean that children are able to have regular check-ups without their parents being forced to miss a day’s work – a massive consideration given that 92% of the Rwandan population in rural areas live below the poverty line. What’s more, local health centres give women and children in rural parts of Rwanda the chance to take greater control over their own health and help their communities work to reduce HIV rates – and the number of young children who die.

What you can do

Read more about our work in Rwanda.

Support our work.