Mamas and MAMA Kits

“A woman’s life is nine parts messy to every one part magic. Often, the magic parts are the messiest of all.”

 

Uganda has one of the fastest growing populations in the world. The average woman here will give birth to seven living children in her lifetime, meaning this population is only going to increase. Women’s health is often at the forefront of new development plans, not only in Uganda, but throughout the world. Just as often though, these development plans seem to fall to the wayside, or are grossly underfunded. That is where the ingenuity and resilience of the people on the ground comes into play in helping women have safe and healthy deliveries.  In my time as an intern at the small, but busy, NGO Hope and Peace for Humanity, I’ve met many in Northern Uganda who have dedicated themselves to helping women and children. Some, like Sister Rose, a midwife in rural Lukwana sub-county, have years of training, and others, like Volunteer Health Tech., Mike, have only just a few days a month to give, but all work towards the same common goal of helping combat maternal death. One of the ways this is done is through the delivery of MAMMA Kits, a birthing kit that every Ugandan woman is required to have to give birth at a birth center or health facility. This kit includes simple tools like a plastic sheet, a razor blade and cord ties, and roll of cotton. Unfortunately, the 30,000 Ugandan Shilling (About 12 US dollars) price tag is often too high for many women, so they are forced to give birth at home with the help of female relatives, and hopefully, a traditional birth attendant. While this method is often just fine for most women, it still leaves room for potential complications, including the most common- post delivery hemorrhage. That is why HPH, and other organizations like it, is so dedicated to making sure that there are enough MAMA Kits for every woman in need. The donated kits come from the larger organization PACE, and are given to health centers, so they’ll be there when the mother comes to deliver. These kits are not a cure all to maternal death, though, and giving birth is still the most dangerous thing a woman in Uganda (and the world) will do in her lifetime. It takes education about safe birthing practices, pregnancy spacing, and good health. It also takes money and time from the government, from hospitals, and from NGOs. Although Uganda is still a long ways off from achieving its Millennium Development Goals, I know that the dedication that I’ve seen working at HPH is not an anomaly, and that with the hard work put it, Uganda, and the women who live here, is on the right track.