“Maternal and reproductive health is a powerful indicator of how a society values its women.”
Child.org provided our social mobilisers with training on the coronavirus pandemic and also gave them personal protective equipment; masks and sanitizers as they embarked on delivering services to our over 100 new mums.
One of the mums we visited this week is Regina. Regina has just given birth to twins and she also has two older children. All five of them are living in the small shack which you can see in the photograph. Child.org are providing Regina with additional support in the form of extra clothing for her babies – items donated by Ride Africa riders last year.
Doris and our other social mobilisers have been visiting the new mums in their homes. One of the services they are delivering is giving these women hand washing soap as they create awareness on the coronavirus pandemic. This information is to help our new mothers to stay safe and protect their families. Through these visits, the narrative is gradually changing from “Coronavirus is for those who board planes and those in Nairobi” to, anyone can be infected by this virus, we have to be vigilant in order to keep us and our families safe.
In 2019, as part of our Team Mum campaign, we told our supporters that a £10 donation would be enough to pay the cost of a Baby Starter Pack for a new mum. Our social mobilisers are handing out the pack to our mums during their visits. The pack includes diapers, nappies, nappy liners and a weighing bag. Our Team Mum khangas are still being printed, but these will be distributed to all the mums when they are ready. The pack is sustainable and convenient because the diapers are made up of a reusable fabric.
“Implementing respectful maternity care practices requires recognising individual needs and desires of women and what their choices are around the time of labor and delivery,” – Katherine Semrau, BetterBirth Program Director, Ariadne Labs.
This is why our social mobilisers are also conducting surveys during these visits. The surveys are looking into the experiences of these women before the suspension of the Team Mum Pregnant Women’s Group meetings.
Through your support, we have managed to provide these services to our new mums. Thank you for being a part of the Child.org family. You can donate to support our urgent work in response to the global coronavirus health crisis here.