Did you know that in the least developed countries, half the health clinics do not have clean water on the premises and 5 out of 6 don’t even have basic handwashing facilities? It's hard to imagine. And it can mean the difference between life and death.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infections resulting from unsanitary birth environments account for over 1 in 4 newborn deaths and more than 1 in 10 deaths of mothers — together totaling over 1 million deaths each year.
In 2018, WHO and UNICEF issued a global community call to action for WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) in all healthcare facilities. At the global summit — held in 2019 in Lusaka, Zambia —World Vision stepped up with the largest commitment of any nongovernmental organization .
World Vision: 3,000 health clinics by 2030
Since making the commitment in 2019, together with our donors and partners, World Vision has upgraded more than 2,000 rural healthcare facilities serving an estimated 18 million people — including Violet Banda (pictured above), a 24-year-old mother who gave birth to her healthy boy, Daliso, 11 months ago at the upgraded Bunda Bunda Health Post in Zambia.
Now, we begin our 2030 plan to help provide 90 million people with access to life-saving healthcare and upgrade 3,000 health facilities with clean water, including strengthening the health system in every health facility, everywhere we work in Zambia, Niger, and Rwanda. To learn more and participate in this work, visit worldvisionphilanthropy.org/health.
Partner reflection:"Mother and baby are doing fine."
Written by Laura Abernathy*
I am so happy to share that my fifth grandchild was born last week! We are full of joy and happiness over this beautiful little girl. Mother and baby are doing fine.
"Mother and baby are doing fine."
We casually say that when little ones are born, but it is not always said in some parts of the world. In places like Zambia and Uganda, becoming pregnant is a life-threatening event, often resulting in tragedy.
I have visited mothers who walked many miles to deliver their babies at a health clinic that had no water, no electricity, no toilets, no equipment. I have cried with a mother who labored and delivered using the local traditional interventions that actually do more harm than good. Her baby died. I have heard mothers speak of packing their own supplies for delivery at a health clinic — things like water to drink and a razor blade to cut the cord. I have seen the empty supply shelves and dirt floors where women give birth. These are not joyful, happy places.
In spite of all this, there is reason for hope. World Vision is working to turn tragedy and despair into joy and happiness for mothers and babies. By upgrading health clinics with clean water, electricity, and basic equipment, and training staff and volunteer community health workers, they're ensuring that mothers will be able to deliver their babies in safe, clean environments.
I saw this recently in Zambia where World Vision has invested in rural health clinics. When clean water is available, healthcare providers can wash their hands, greatly reducing infection. Mothers can shower and use a toilet. When electricity is available, babies don’t have to be delivered by candlelight, and medications and immunizations can stay refrigerated. With basic medical equipment, mothers don’t have to deliver on the floor. When the staff is better trained, mothers and babies receive better care that often saves their lives. And thank goodness for the volunteer community health workers trained by World Vision to provide timed and targeted teaching and intervention for mothers and babies.
As I celebrate Mother’s Day this May 14th, I will be enjoying my children and grandchildren. But I will also be taking a few quiet moments to think about the mothers I met in Zambia and Uganda — those with a tragic story, but also of the many mothers who will experience joy in childbirth now and in the future. Let’s pray that many more will be able to say "Mother and baby are doing fine."
*Laura, a retired nurse, and her husband, Robert, a retired healthcare executive, are long-time major donors to our Health work. Laura is also a member of the Strong Women Strong World Council.
We are very excited to invite you to the 2023 Annual Strong Women Strong World event! We'll gather on Friday, December 1, at 583 Park Avenue in New York City.
More information about this year's event will be coming soon. In the meantime, give yourself a gift and take your place among this powerful group of people who care deeply about empowering women and girls in the developing world to overcome barriers and reach their God-given potential.
Plan now to join us and invite a friend for an informational, meaningful, and memorable experience!
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