Birth in Central Africa

Training Skilled Birth Attendants

UPDATE!The opportunity to make an impact is growing! Not only will we be training women from Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, but we will also be training women from Uganda and Tanzania!

The World Health Organization estimates 533,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth each year. This is the equivalent to one woman every minute. These deaths are distributed unequally around the globe, with women in Central Africa having 100 times the risk of dying compared to women in developed countries. Their children are at least 6 times more likely to die within the first year of life; 5 times more likely to die within the first week after birth; and 4 times as likely to not live long enough to be born.

At least 75% of these deaths are preventable with basic health care. By creating a system in which women have access to skilled birth attendants during pregnancy and childbirth, many lives could be saved. When skilled birth attendants are able to refer at risk women to hospitals for care, even more families can be spared. The continued lack of care for families in Central Africa should be unacceptable to Christians.

In August 2008, a group of midwives will be traveling to Bujumbura, Burundi to train volunteers as skilled birth attendants. The volunteers will come from Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to take part in a four week program that will allow them to provide basic level maternity care to families in their communities.

In developed countries 99% of women receive prenatal care and are attended by skilled health personnel during labor. In Burundi only 25% of births are attended by skilled health personnel. In Rwanda only 10% of mothers receive adequate prenatal care and only 31% give birth with a skilled attendant. Both Rwanda and Burundi have less than one midwife per 10,000 people. Only 61% of mothers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are attended during labor. The Democratic Republic of Congo has the 5th worst infant mortality rate in the world.

The volunteers are hand selected from towns with little or no health care. Some come from regions where their closest health care facility is 200 kilometers (124 miles) away. Some come from towns with 50,000 residents and no health care workers. The impact skilled birth attendants will have is unbelievable.

You May Also Be Interested In: Learn about epidurals so you can make an informed decision. Explore the list of Recommended Childbirth Books and other products. Find out about childbirth in other cultures and explore how culture changes your perceptions of pregnancy and childbirth. Find out ways to keep a pregnancy journal. Assess your pregnancy weight gain to see if it is healthy.

© Copyright 2000-2007 Jennifer VanderLaan and Birthing Naturally

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