Save the Children has built a maternity ward in Kirambo which is now ready to support pregnant mothers. As their due date approaches, mothers-to-be come to the health centre where there’s waiting room for them to rest. When the time comes they give birth in one of two equipped delivery rooms with skilled birth attendants.
There is so much more to do to embed the improved healthcare practices and importantly to take a step beyond this still very basic level of care for young children and mums. But for a short moment at least we should take heart and pride in what has been achieved for children – and hope that there is no turning back.
In the middle of the 7k race, I saw one girl of about 11. She looked very tired, and had slowed down to a walk. Someone threw her some words of encouragement and she said “yes, I’ll keep running and finish the whole race”. I was inspired by her enthusiasm.
It was early evening by the time I arrived in Semera, the capital of the Afar region, on 7 April. With me was an assessment team from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. They’ve come to Ethiopia for a week to assess our upcoming maternal and child health project…
Many issues have a day devoted to them. This Thursday (24 March) is World TB Day and marks the date when the bacteria that causes tuberculosis was discovered by a German doctor back in 1882. This year there has been a long overdue focus on the impact of TB on children.
New research shows clearly that women in South Wollo are aware that they should attend health centres to have their babies, but are choosing not to for a variety reasons, including the conditions in the health centres. Women seem to prefer to stay at home to give birth unless they’re having a long or complicated labour.
Introducing some of the fantastic Save the Children UK team in Ethiopia…
Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. What’s that got to do with us I hear you ask?! Well, saving children isn’t easy. Where we can, through our programme work, we’ll save those lives one at a time. But we can and must save even more lives by changing the systems and societies that allow these deaths to happen. In the UK and all over the world, women and children do not receive the care they deserve.
Save the Children believes the health of a mother and a child to be inseparable. This is why, as a child-focused organisation, so many of our programmes include maternal health. I recently attended a conference that suggested that audits, information and a rights-based, accountable approach can bring about positive changes for women’s healthcare.
The UK government has today launched a public consultation on its reproductive, maternal and newborn strategy for developing countries. Notice what is missing? Children.
