Changing lives with safe motherhood information

In Ethiopia, our project “Labour at the Last Mile” has changed lives by providing pregnant women in hard-to-reach areas with safe motherhood information and by building community support.

In the largely-rural Amhara region of northwest Ethiopia, 1 in 10 of women will give birth in a health facility with access to clean and safe delivery, and essential obstetric care. Giving birth at home, without access to a skilled birth attendent, is a matter of life and death. But for many women in rural communities, a myriad of barriers stand between them and safe motherhood – barriers which exacerbate inequalities compared to women living in more urban areas.

Our project, Labour at the Last Mile, provides women living in hard-to-reach communities in two districts in Amhara with safe motherhood information on the benefits of visiting a maternity waiting home (MWH) to reduce these barriers and improve maternal and neonatal health.

A Safe Delivery

Like all expecting mothers, Abebaye dreams of bringing her child safely into the world with love and care. Yet she lives nearly 8 km from her nearest health centre where she could access safe, skilled care during birth. Recognising the danger this distance posed, Abebaye’s midwife told her about the benefits of staying at a MWH before the onset of labour. Together, Abebaye and her husband decided to stay at a maternity waiting home in the weeks leading up to labour. She was assured that precautions would be taken to ensure risk of contracting COVID-19 remained low.

“I stayed for two weeks and was well fed and received good care. I am so happy to have stayed at the waiting home and in the skilled care of the midwives.” says Abebaye “I will inform my friends about the quality of the care I received at the maternity waiting home.” Abebaye had a safe delivery and was relieved to return home with a healthy baby. She now wants other expecting mothers to know how a MWH can be a lifeline for women like her – living at a distance from the health centre.