Yesterday we went to Mukonchi Rural Health Center and met with about 15 women to ask what THEY would like in a waiting house. When we build this we want to do it right and give them what they want and not tell them the way it is going to be.
Overall they really like the idea of the waiting house, they say that they would like to come about 2 weeks before their expected date of delivery so that they are able to travel more easily. They also feel that they and many other women will be much more likely to seek their help with delivery if they can come 2 weeks early rather than just a couple of days. The whole point of the waiting house is to build a place where expecting mothers can come and wait before their delivery so they will have access to medical care when the big moment arrives.
Then we got asked the tough questions. First, they wanted to know if there would be any transportation to bring them to the waiting house, I managed to dodge the bullet by saying that at this point we weren't sure what else we could offer in ways of transportation. But then the big question was asked by a woman who was very quiet the whole meeting. She raised her hand at the end and simply asked if there would be a way to get them to the hospital in Kabwe if there were any complications. Every woman in that room nodded and was very concerned about this issue. Let me explain why.
If a woman is at this health center and suddenly there is a complication, right now they have to wait for the one ambulance in Kapiri to come get them (which would take an hour, and that is if it was available and had fuel) and then take another 1.5 hours to get to Kabwe hospital. When I asked Marion (our OB) what the standard is in the U.S to get a woman in for a C-Section as soon as a complication is discovered and she told me it was 30 minutes. Now, add in the fact of the matter is that nobody can count on the ambulance and what happens is that the women are left to find their own transportation while they are in labor with complications. This would cost them about $25, which nobody has. So they are forced to sell off their livelihoods (cattle, chickens, goods, whatever they have) in order to save their and their baby's life. And still, it's going to take hours to get them to the hospital as the road is terrible. We timed it out yesterday, took us 1.5 hours to travel 50 km. I believe it's 8 km per 5 miles, so I'll let you guys figure out the math.
I sometimes wonder if would could do more by paving the road instead.
1 comment:
Hi there, I do not think that you are road crew material. Do the thing you set out to do. You can not hope to do it all. I think that you will find that the people of Zambia know their hardships and accept them, even as they may not like them and even as they try to change them. You can only do the things that fall in your realm. Do those well. The beautiful photos you post show what a wonderful place it is.
As for the blankets, what do the women think? Do they have the means to do the blankets and would they value them? They can probably help you to decide.
You are having an amazing adventure and one we are all getting to enjoy vicariously. Thanks, and remeber as my mother would say "do your best, the angels can do no more."
Keep us updated and watch out for the bzzz of mosquitoes. ann
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