This project aims to establish a high quality, FREE community midwifery support service, providing antenatal, postnatal and newborn health care, health promotion and education, including a nutrition supplement programme and free medical outreach clinics.
We use a holistic approach which will encompass every aspect of a pregnant woman’s life.
We upskill local women who are already working for the government health programme with the midwifery knowledge and skills they require to deliver antenatal and postnatal care to women who are not attending health facilities locally.
Our Community Midwifery Support Workers build trusting and sustainable relationships with our clients who then feel able to talk to them and share problems and worries.
They encourage HIV testing which can be done in the privacy of the woman’s home and treatment compliance can be monitored. This can lower the transmission of HIV to their baby by 42% .
Our 2 pilot areas proved very successful. Our CMSW’S had 1964 contacts with pregnant women and in the first 7 months, they were able to care for them throughout their pregnancy and afterwards. We were also able to save 365 new babies from being ill, often critically, by ensuring they got the necessary medical care they needed.
This is only part of the holistic work we have done. Please refer to our news pages for other stories about our work.
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Training our CMSW’s
All women want a healthy baby and want them to be alive to see them grow to achieve their full potential.
Our workers are able to educate, support and chaperone women to empower them to access local services and give birth safely. We care for the woman until the baby is six months old or until she is fit and well and her baby is thriving.
We also offer support for her to access contraception and do regular health promotion and health education with the parents.