Saving lives, changing futures

Hi John

Meet Amie. Amie is a maternal health promoter in the Bombali district of Sierra Leone. Before she took part in training from Health Poverty Action, she was a Traditional Birth Attendant helping women to give birth in her community. With 1,360 mothers dying per 100,000 live births, Sierra Leone has the worst maternal mortality ratio in the world.

Traditional Birth Attendants often have no formal training, but might be the only help available to expectant mothers. For many women, tradition and local customs prevent them from attending hospital. For others it is an issue of proximity to medical facilities - there is no way they could reach a hospital in time to give birth. Traditional Birth Attendants provide them with the care they need, both during and after pregnancy and childbirth.

Now, Amie's training has given her the medical knowledge to spot early danger signs in pregnancy, and to give health advice to the pregnant women she visits in the community.

"I work to help pregnant women and their babies. We can save lives."

Health Poverty Action supports over 250 maternal health promoters in Sierra Leone. Together, women like Amie are reducing maternal deaths in the region.

In the remote areas we often work in, women, newborns and children the most vulnerable to health problems. Health centres can be difficult to reach. Women and children sometimes have to walk for days to get there. Even when they reach the facilities, they might find them understaffed or underequipped. This must change.

Read more about our approach to the health of women & girls and why gender equality is key to ending poverty globally.

Sorsha
Communications Officer