Lela was born in a village in rural Kenya. She is 16, and pregnant.
Lela is a fictional representation of the pregnant women that Child.org works with. She represents their challenges, vulnerabilities, strengths, hopes and determination. This is the beginning of Lela’s story; the story lived by many pregnant women in rural Kenya.
Lela juggles several challenges which could negatively impact her pregnancy, her newborn, and her physical and mental health. Most urgently, Lela faces many barriers which inhibit her access to vital Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services.
The challenges
Lela comes from a poor background; her parents are casual laborers who earn a living working on other people’s farms. They are paid just a few coins each day, and at times not even that. No one has advised Lela about the importance of seeing a health professional now she is pregnant – but even if they had, she has no money for transport to the nearest health facility.
It would be difficult for Lela to make this decision anyway, as she lives in a heavily patriarchal society. All decisions are made by men, even the simplest ones such as whether to seek medical services or not. If Lela manages to get the money, and permission, to go to a hospital, the facility may also lack the necessary equipment (such as an ultrasound) or skilled personnel to treat her effectively.
Lela is close with her mother, Riziki, and is able to seek help and advice from her about pregnancy. However, Riziki, holds onto some old-fashioned, more-traditional pregnancy and delivery practices. For example: using traditional birth attendants rather than delivering in a hospital with a skilled medical professional. If Riziki passes these traditions down to Lela, they could be harmful for her and her baby.
The father of Lela’s baby is not fully present in Lela’s life and, since the news of her pregnancy, she has been isolated from her friends. They no longer have the same priorities as Lela. This leaves Lela feeling quite alone.
The support groups
Despite all this, Lela is a dreamer. She loved school and hopes to return once her baby is born – she wants better for herself and her little family.
One day, a community health worker – known in Kenya as Community Health Promoters (CHPs) – visits Lela at her home. CHPs are the ‘eyes and ears’ of the community; they know about all the goings-on in their villages, especially when it comes to health. The CHP, named Esther, tells Lela about Team Mum’s Pregnant Women’s Groups, and Lela quickly signs up. This is her chance to take agency over her body and make decisions for herself.
Once Lela starts attending the pregnancy support groups, she learns about danger signs, body changes during pregnancy, and the importance of attending antenatal care (ANC). Lela taps into the strength of the other mothers who are in similar situations, and is able to raise the questions she has been yearning to ask. During these groups she feels supported – she feels seen.
Lela is the reason we do what we do. She represents all the women who want to overcome similar barriers, but don’t have – or know about – the avenues to do so.
Child.org works to break these barriers so Lela – and women like – can access information, resources, and community strength for themselves and their babies.
This is just the beginning of Lela, Riziki and Esther’s story. Don’t miss the next instalment – subscribe to our newsletter.
Lela discovers she’s pregnant.
‘Niko na ball!’ (I’m pregnant!)
Esther, a Community Health Promoter, visits Lela at home.
‘Hodi hodi‘ (May I come in?)