“I and my baby were not alive if it were at home”

Awudia Ahemed was a thirty-eight-year-old pregnant woman who came for her 5th child delivery at the Project MCH clinic. She came fully gestational at midnight accompanied by her husband and relatives. During their pregnancy time, women have monthly panel discussions on their health issues during pregnancy and post-delivery, Miss Awudia was also one who regularly participated in the panel discussions. So that she was ready as soon as she fell into full labour, she went to the project clinic and arrived at midnight. As soon as she reached the MCH clinic of the project, the guard opened the gate door and the midwife nurse checked the mother and her foetus and everything was nice and they waited for the engagement of the newborn baby.

Unfortunately, within minutes the mother shows some clinical signs and symptoms of convulsion. Immediately the clinic midwife took a measure to resuscitate the mother providing two units of ringer lactate with a high-loading dose of MgS04 i.v and i.m. After 30 minutes the woman came back to normal and engaged to full labour and gave birth of a 3kg male baby. Then after her delivery, the whole family rejoiced and was happy that the mother and new baby had been in good health.

Awudia has given birth to all her children except her first baby. She knows well the benefit of institutional and skilled delivery and she was happy with the service provided to her that she said” If it were at home, I and my baby were not alive and I always advise pregnant women to attend ANC up to four visits and went to the clinic as soon as labour signs were seen”.

She decided to take her baby and have full immunization which aids children could be resistant to infectious diseases in building their immunity.  The Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Development Commission (EKHCDC’s) has continuously worked intensively towards realizing holistic development and enhancing the accessibility of health-related services to the communities in the targeted area.  

The Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Development Commission’s (EKHCDC’s) Assosa and Homosha Woreda health project was established in January 2008 in Benshangul Gumuz Asosa zone Homosha woreda Sherkole Keble (Kuburihamsa) which is 48 Kms away from the capital city of the region, Assosa town. The project is supported by GZB Netherlands and has been implementing health activities since then. The project’s focus areas include the prevention of communicable diseases (malaria, HIV/AIDS and TB ), Family planning, Antenatal Care with Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) services, Safe institutional delivery, Postnatal Care, Children and maternal Immunization, Growth Monitoring, Health Education and other curative emergency services.