Half a million women world-wide die every year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth - nearly one a minute. The greatest risk is to women in East and West Africa. Of all the statistics monitored by the World Health Organisation, this shows the greatest discrepancy between developed and developing countries. The risk of a woman dying as a result of childbirth in Sierra Leone is 1 in 7, compared to less than 1 in 10,000 in the UK. Most men have two or three wives and infant and childhood mortality is high (170/1000), so there is every reason for a woman to want to have children to replace those who have been lost, as well as to prove herself a worthy wife. There is little incentive to use contraception. Female circumcision is normal, and many girls become pregnant before their skeleton has fully matured. The majority deliver at home, as hospital may be difficult to reach, the care is expensive, and most people only go there to die. There are four or five trained midwives for the whole district, one of whom works outside Kambia town. The majority of births are attended by traditional birth attendants, most of whom are illiterate, and, as their name implies, rely heavily on tradition. Even if a complication is recognised in time, there may still be a problem of arranging transport to the hospital, and making sure there is someone there who can deal with the problem. The solution to this problem has been proposed and developed by the The Kambia Appeal who are a registered charity based in the UK and who have created a brand new hospital in Kambia which now treats adults and infants for a range of ailments and has been greatly welcomed by the local indigenous population. |
Further resources and other projects:Site design and development by the restoration Trust 2009 |