Services for Heroes
Women are heroes. Day in day out they struggle to feed their families, send their kids to school, bear the brunt of household chores and despite all that, lack a voice that allows them to decide over their own bodies.
Women in Uganda are no different, this beautiful country has an extremely high maternal mortality rate. Pregnancy is not an option here, it happens, and it happens all the time. Young, old, no children, many children, it does not matter as women often cannot access the services they need to prevent pregnancies. Possibly even worse, if they do have access, they might not have the right to make this choice, their husbands, mothers-in-law and communities deciding for them.
Marie Stopes Uganda goes out to see these women and provide them with choices. Last week I met Sara, a woman who had had 10 pregnancies and did not want any more children, her body could not cope with more children. MSU outreach teams go out to remote areas and help women like Sara access the services they need. Sara chose the tubiligation, which will prevent her from falling pregnant ever again. A life saved, and possibly the lives of her children, who she can now care for better as her resources do not have to be spread so thinly.
Besides this, MSU also works with other health care providers in the remote corners of Uganda to help them provide safe motherhood services. These services directly reduce the incidence of maternal mortality. On the edge of the impenetrable forest, there where the Gorilla’s live, MSI supports a hospital to provide safe delivery services. The poorest women can buy a voucher for 1,5 dollar, with this voucher they are assured of a healthy pregnancy and a safe delivery, a service that would normally cost up to 140 dollars. While there I saw 3 newborns, less than half a day old, safe in their mothers (and fathers) arms. I also met with over 30 women who were waiting together, in a hostel next to the hospital, to deliver, it looked like fun. It looked normal, but it is not, this service is still a luxury for most of Ugandans women.
MSU is working to find funds for this project, however, western governments, dealing with falling euro’s and financial crises, are becoming more and more hesitant to fund ‘other people’s problems’. Time for the government of Uganda to take responsibility, with the problem that the Ugandan government does not have enough resources to really provide the care that people need, let alone what women need. MSU is needed, in fact, is indispensible for all those silent heroes in Uganda.