Uganda
Our initial focus is on Northern Uganda where over two million people have been displaced, many of whom still live in internally displaced persons camps and rely heavily on foreign aid for food, housing and health care. In the aftermath of the 23 year war, foreign aid has been pulled out, leaving gaps in resources that the community of displaced persons struggle to fill. The need for community sustained programs is immediate. One of the largest areas of need is women’s health care. Women have been used as tools of war, as sex slaves for the army, often giving birth to many babies during and after abduction. The need for trained health professionals who are invested in and know the community and its resources has never been greater. Earth Birth works with traditional birth attendants to create culturally competent clinics that are based on best practices and locally sustainable resources. Currently, we have a team of thirty traditional birth attendants and 20 acres outside of Atiak, an IDP camp near the border of Sudan. We are currently building an eco-sustainable, solar powered clinic and community space. Within the next year, a midwifery curriculum will be implemented at St.Monica’s, a school led by CNN hero Rosemary Nyirumbe for war abducted young mothers to learn re-integration skills.
Community Sustainability and the Role of the Traditional Birth Attendant
Our aim is for sustainable community solutions to the issues that face women in northern Uganda through access to education and health care . Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA’s)live throughout the IDP camps. These are women who practice midwifery as it has been handed down to them from generation to generation. They have little formal training, but much of Uganda’s population has passed through their hands. In response to high maternal mortality rates, in the 1990’s World Vision implemented trainings in basic western obstetrics.These trainings almost eradicated use of ‘traditional’ midwifery, yet did not offer sustained access to education or resources to make western practice a reality. As a result, the TBA’s are now being asked to refer all clients to the nearest hospital, sometimes fifty km away. The hospitals are not set up to serve the number of women that would come to birth there if the TBA’s made these referrals. The result is a confusing set of messages and services for both laboring women and health care providers.
Despite the government push towards hospital births, it is estimated that 80% of the births in the region are taking place in the IDP camps with traditional birth attendants, which makes them critical health care providers and crucial to community restoration efforts. In response to this, the midwives at Earth Birth work with traditional birth attendants to create culturally competent, government recognized clinics that are based on best practices and locally sustainable resources. The birth clinic in Atiak is truly the first of its kind. Holistic and restorative reproductive care is essential to a future of peace in Uganda.
Educational Model:
We use the guidelines specified through International MotherBaby Childbirth Initiative (IMBCI): 10 Steps to Optimal Maternity Services.
Please visit their site at www.imbci.org