Day 10

An obstetrics kit for a midwife service in Sierra Leone

A happy birth in your pocket

Supporting rural midwives in the most important job in the world

Jayah Bockarie graduated just a few months ago from the midwifery school in Bo. Before his training, he worked for over four years as a community nurse on the beautiful Bonthe Peninsula, a place located directly on the Atlantic coast, which is only accessible by boat. He regularly transported pregnant women with birth complications to a larger hospital using a small boat. During one of these trips, a pregnant woman experienced severe complications. This motivated him to learn more about complications and their early detection. He then went to Bo for a two-year training program. Since his return to Bonthe, he has already treated several complicated cases, either promptly referring them or providing expert care himself. His combination of expertise and sensitivity to women's issues makes him a unique male midwife.

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need

Medical supplies and protective equipment for midwives in rural areas of Sierra Leone to carry out safe births

activity

The Bo Midwifery School procures medical equipment for rural midwives in the southern province of Bo and trains them in obstetric standards

Measurable performance

Number of obstetric kits provided to midwives

Result

It is expected that at least 120 more midwives will be able to carry out safe births and antenatal examinations than in the previous year

Systemically relevant impact

Improving the health of mothers and their children in Sierra Leone and reducing maternal and infant mortality.

background

In Sierra Leone, like in many countries, there is a shortage of midwives. According to the World Health Organization, the country needs about 3,000 midwives. However, currently, only about half that number work in the country (UNFPA, 2020). This is one of several reasons why many women still die during childbirth in Sierra Leone, even though maternal mortality has decreased since 2020 (WHO, 2023).

To further combat maternal mortality, a midwifery school was opened in Bo in 2017 in collaboration with the Ministry of Health. Since then, about 150 new midwives graduate from the school every year. However, once these newly trained professionals take up their posts at rural health stations, they often face the reality that they struggle to implement what they have learned due to the lack of necessary medical supplies at these stations. Pregnant women often have to cover the cost of gloves, medications, or syringes, which prevents them from seeking care at health stations for delivery. Even long-practicing midwives in rural areas face these challenges. To conduct safe prenatal care, childbirth, and postnatal care, protective equipment, medications, and supplies are essential. With midwifery bags, they can visit patients in their homes and always carry their personal equipment with them, even when changing health stations. Ongoing training and updates on WHO obstetric standards are also crucial to improving the quality of maternity care.

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The Good Deed

With your and other donations, approximately 120 rural midwives in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone will be equipped with midwifery bags and obstetric kits. Since many health stations lack sufficient equipment, the kits include personal protective gear, disinfectants, and materials for umbilical care during births or prenatal check-ups. The bags also contain instruments such as a blood pressure monitor to detect warning signs, as well as medications to treat the mother and newborn in case of emergencies. With this equipment, midwives are able to detect difficult pregnancies early and transfer patients to the hospital in time, as well as conduct uncomplicated births themselves. In addition, the midwives will receive refresher courses on obstetric standards, the use of the midwifery bags, and the recognition of early warning signs. This ensures that preventable complications and deaths of mothers and children in remote areas can be avoided.

About Sierra Leone

Freetown

Capital city

8,791,092

population

as of 2023

433.4

Gross domestic product per capita per year in USD

as of 2023

0.458

Human Development Index (Human Development Index)

as of 2023/2024

In Sierra Leone, the common language is Krio, a creole language based on English. The greeting is "How de body?" which literally means "How is the body?"

About the organization and further information