Project Launch: 7-26-17

Serving an ethnically and linguistically diverse population, the health clinic in Velingara Koto has significantly evolved over the last 10 years as it strives to adequately meet the health needs of the area. The most recent step in this journey was the transformation of the clinic from a health hut to a health post last year, dramatically increasing the range of health services available but presenting new staffing and infrastructure needs. There is only one room with two beds for all patient care, so patients suffering from illnesses such as pneumonia and malaria are housed in the same room as women who have just given birth and their infants.

This project focuses on the construction of a maternity ward to address this situation. A standalone maternity ward would allow pregnant and birthing women the privacy and safety they need to deliver and recover, as well as provide space for daily prenatal consultations with a trained midwife. Additionally, this project would not only make current health post births safer, but it will increase the number of women who seek to give birth at the post rather than at home, which is statistically riskier for mother and baby.

Project Update: 12-11-17

Progress on the maternity ward is steady. Construction began the second week of October and the main structural components — the walls and the roof — are finished. The work that remains will be finished within the next few weeks. The current task is laying the cement for the floors and applying a smooth exterior layer of cement to the walls. After this is finished, the next goal will be to install doors and windows. The hope is to have the entire project finished by the end of January.

Final Report: 3-7-18

The health clinic now has a completely new maternity ward that will hopefully last for many years. This has doubled the space at the clinic and will drastically improve the quality of healthcare services. Clinic births have already increased in the last three months despite the fact that the maternity ward is not yet open. The ward will open upon receipt of needed medical equipment provided by local health authorities. In October 2017, 14 community health workers were trained in maternal and child health and those workers then conducted a series of three meetings in all of their villages. Ultimately, 457 people were reached with behavior change communication on antenatal care visits, health structure delivery, and danger signs during pregnancy.