Fund Life Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC

The team at Hope For Our Sisters Inc., in partnership with the team at the Wellness Clinic in Goma, DR Congo is pleased to bring you our latest impact report for our project to "Fund Life-Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC". This Maternal Health Fund established at the Wellness Clinic with your investments provides life-saving prenatal and antenatal care to women who could not otherwise access a skilled, attended delivery. In instances where a cesarean birth is indicated for the safety of the mother and/or neonate, many of those in need would perish without the availability of free care that you make possible at the clinic - at other sites they are turned away because they cannot afford the procedure. The program's maintenance and efficacy would not be possible without each of you and your generosity.

The situation in Goma remains difficult. While the Doha Declaration of Principles, which establishes a framework for a permanent ceasefire, was signed on 19 July by the Congo River/M23 Alliance and the Congolese Government, it is taking significant time for this to translate to peace, change and relief on the ground in DRC. 

The Wellness Clinic continues to operate through the uncertainty. From May through August, there were 591 deliveries, with 236 of those being cesarean deliveries. Additionally, 15 women elected to have tubal ligations, which is an important procedure in empowering families to have control over their fertility. Many of these women received their care in part or in full as beneficiaries of the Maternal Health Fund. So many lives have been touched by your choice to support the health, safety and wellbeing of these precious families. We are so incredibly grateful to all of you. 

One woman helped by the fund is 17-yr old Kirthi. She became pregnant but was unsupported by the father of her child. Her family of origin is living in poverty, as neither she nor her parents have regular income-generating work. The Maternal Health Fund covered the cost of a neessary cesarean birth, and she and her baby were discharged safely to home. 

Importantly, we want to note that when the costs of cesarean births are covered by the Maternal Health Fund, it allows the Wellness Clinic to direct other funds to families with needs outside of obstetrics, labor and delivery. Pictured in the report is Shazia, a mother of eight is raising her children alone, as her husband disappeared in June and they remain uncertain of his whereabouts in the volatile region. Displaced from her home by the war, she is struggling to meet the family's basic needs as she raises the children alone without employment. When one child became very ill with a serious pulmonary infection, the Wellness Clinic was able to cover the costs associated with treatment, something this mother could not have afforded, potentially resulting in a loss of this child. Your investments extend to families you will likely never even know you touched, but who are so grateful. 

We are committed to bringing you updates on your impact in this project every four months. As always, we welcome your feedback or suggestions to Cara, one of our Board members, at cbrooks@hopeforoursisters.org. For more regular updates on all of our programs, please visit our website and sign up for our Constant Contact updates 1-2 times per month, or follow us on Facebook (Hope For Our Sisters, Inc.) and Instagram (@brookehfos).

We cannot thank you enough for your continued support of this Maternal Health Fund, for your incredible generosity towards this cause, for the Wellness Clinic, and for the strong and resilient families of Goma. 

With Hope,

Cara Brooks

Links:

• HFOS Homepage

The team at Hope For Our Sisters Inc., in partnership with the team at the Wellness Clinic in Goma, DR Congo is pleased to bring you our latest impact report for our project to "Fund Life-Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC". This Maternal Health Fund established at the Wellness Clinic with your investments provides life-saving prenatal and antenatal care to women who could not otherwise access a skilled, attended delivery. In instances where a cesarean birth is indicated for the safety of the mother and/or neonate, many of those in need would perish without the availability of free care that you make possible at the clinic - at other sites they are turned away because they cannot afford the procedure. The program's maintenance and efficacy would not be possible without each of you and your generosity.

The situation in Goma remains grim. The M23 rebels still hold much of the region, including Goma, and earlier in the spring were refusing to participate in peace talks being held in Angola with the goal of bringing the Congolese government and the Rwadan-backed M23 rebels together. In recent weeks, Amnesty International has taken steps to formally accuse the M23 rebels of war crimes. More than 1.7 million people remain displaced, with thousands dead. 

The Wellness Clinic continues to operate under this extreme stress. Short-supplied and in great danger, they report to work, care for the very ill and grievously injured, and deliver babies. Over February, March and April, there were 555 deliveries, with 200 of those being cesarean deliveries. Additionally, 15 women elected to have tubal ligations, which is an important procedure in empowering families to have control over their fertility. Many of these women received their care in part or in full as beneficiaries of the Maternal Health Fund. So many lives have been touched by your choice to support the health, safety and wellbeing of these precious families. We are so incredibly grateful to all of you. 

Two stories of particular hardship, but with glimmers of hope in their new beginnings, are those of Amal and Jamila. Amal, who has been blind since birth, represents the extremely vulnerable group of those who are differently-abled in DR Congo in this time of violence and unrest. She was assaulted by an unknown man at 35 years old, and carried her baby to full term. When she arrived at the clinic eight hours into her contractions, the baby was in distress, and an emergency cesarean birth was provided. The baby, though underweight, survived and received care without charge. They are pictured here, and Amal has expressed to the team her great thanks. 

Jamila, 24 years old, is married with five children. It is hard to find work in DR Congo at this time, and her husband is unemployed, so the family lives in grave poverty. She carried twins to term, a boy and girl, who are healthy and thriving. She was deeply appreciative that the cost of her cesarean birth was covered, as was the care for her babies - her family could never have shouldered such an expense and there is a chance the three of them would not be alive were it not for the Maternal Health Fund. 

We are committed to bringing you updates on your impact in this project every four months. As always, we welcome your feedback or suggestions to Cara, one of our Board members, at cbrooks@hopeforoursisters.org. For more regular updates on all of our programs, please visit our website and sign up for our Constant Contact updates 1-2 times per month, or follow us on Facebook (Hope For Our Sisters, Inc.) and Instagram (@brookehfos).

We cannot thank you enough for your continued support of this Maternal Health Fund, for your incredible generosity towards this cause, for the Wellness Clinic, and for the strong and resilient families of Goma. 

With Hope,

Cara Brooks

Links:

• HFOS Homepage