THE DELIVERY THAT SAVED TWO LIVES

Maternity Services by Boat | Bangladesh 
Khaleda* gave birth to her first two children at home, with no midwife and no doctor.
Both were born healthy. 
Her third labour was different.

Photography: Fatima Tuj Johora/Save the Children

KHALEDA’S STORY

“I was in pain at home, but the delivery wasn’t happening.” – Khaleda* 

In her district, a third of mothers give birth at home, despite the risk of deadly complications.

The nearest large hospital was hours away.

''To go to the larger towns from here would have been too long and I’d be dead by then. It would have taken me around 2-3 hours or more.''
– Khaleda

Khaleda* and her 17-month old daughter Sadiya* are given a check-up by Shraboni, 29, a midwife onboard a Mamotar Tori satellite clinic run by Save the Children in Gaibandha, Bangladesh

THE JOURNEY

When mothers can’t reach healthcare, healthcare comes to them. By boat.

Khaleda called the midwives.

They rushed her by motorbike to the Mamotar Tori, a maternity boat funded by Save the Children.

“Then they took me on a motorcycle to their boat, and started giving me oxygen. I was in a lot of pain at home. But once I was in the boat, I was fine.” – Khaleda*

She reached hospital within half an hour.

Shraboni, 29, a midwife at Save the Children's Mamota project, uses an auto rickshaw to visit patients door-to-door for check-ups in Gaibandha Char areas, Bangladesh.
Save the Children’s Mamotar Tori provides emergency transport for women and serves as a satellite clinic offering maternal and newborn health
Nargis, a midwife at a satellite clinic run by Save the Children's Mamota project checks a mother and her baby in Gaibandha, Bangladesh.

WHAT WAS DELIVERED?

Medical kits used for satellite healthcare sessions on board the Momotar Tori floating clinic and water ambulance run by Save the Children in the Gaibandha Char area of Bangladesh. , image

The boat carries much more than supplies.

On board are trained midwives, oxygen and a midwife kit with everything from a stethoscope to a fetal doppler for checking a baby’s heartbeat.

Shraboni, 29, a midwife at Save the Children's Momota project, runs satellite clinics on board a boat to reach remote Char communities in Gaibandha Bangladesh. , image

When complications arise, the boat becomes something else entirely.

A floating ambulance. A route to safety.

A chance to survive.

Shraboni, 29, a midwife at Save the Children's Momota project, runs satellite clinics on board a boat to reach remote Char communities in Gaibandha Bangladesh. , image

CARE BEFORE THE EMERGENCY

Throughout her pregnancy, Khaleda had regular check-ups from the boat’s midwives.

“During the floods... the water level was waist high. However, we’ve managed to adapt.

We now conduct satellite clinics on boats, bringing medical services directly to those in need.”

– Shraboni, Midwife

Through the Mamota project, more than 41,900 mothers have received antenatal care, and more than 6,000 have given birth safely in a health facility.

5-months pregnant Tisha* attends a check-up with Nargis, a midwife at a satellite clinic run by Save the Children's Mamota project in Gaibandha, Bangladesh.
Rupa*, 24, who is eight months pregnant attends a check-up with midwife Shraboni, 29, at a satellite clinic run by Save the Children's Mamota project in Bangladesh
Rupa*, 24, who is eight months pregnant, attends a check-up with midwife Shraboni, 29, at a satellite clinic run by Save the Children's Mamota project in Bangladesh

SADIYA

At the hospital, Khaleda’s daughter Sadiya* was born safely. 

“If the baby had been delivered at home, I could have died or the baby could have.”

“The way I have benefited, I want other pregnant mothers to benefit in the same way.” – Khaleda*

Khaleda* and her 17-month old daughter Sadiya* are given a check-up by Shraboni, 29, a midwife onboard a Mamotar Tori satellite clinic run by Save the Children in Gaibandha, Bangladesh

ONE DELIVERY.
TWO LIVES PROTECTED.

Every pregnancy should end with a mother holding her baby safely in her arms. 

Yet Save the Children estimates that this year, 28 million women will give birth outside a health facility. 

In Bangladesh, a small boat is helping change that. 

£43 could pay for a bed on the maternity boat, so a mum like Khaleda can lie down safely on the way to hospital. 

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