Saving mothers' lives

For many people here, the nearest medical centre is a three-hour walk away. For a woman facing childbirth, it is quite simply an impossible journey.

In April 2005, 27-year-old María Santa Canahuí García went into labour, helped by a community midwife, Gabriela Lopez. Her baby was born safely at 2am but the placenta was not delivered, so Gabriela, who had been trained to recognise that this was not usual, consulted a health promoter who was part of the emergencies team set up by a CARE project.

He confirmed Gabriela’s fears and instructed Maria and her husband to come immediately to hospital. They were transported 30km in a car provided by the project.

“Just as I arrived they gave me an injection, then serum and then they took the placenta out. I went back home the following day… I thank the nurses, they assisted me well, and fed me, and they also let me keep my baby next to me,” says Maria. She knows that without the training Gabriela had received, her story might not have had such a happy ending.

The death rate for women in childbirth here in this region of Guatemala is twice the national average and around 500 times more than in the UK. Behind these statistics are hundreds of children left without a mother.

CARE has been running this highly successful project since 2002, driving down the rate of death in childbirth. It is so successful that the national Guatemalan ministry of public health is now adopting the same approach across the country.

“Women now know their rights and are not afraid to ask for medical help. We’re also very encouraged to see that their husbands now accept much more readily that women can take decisions about their health and play a more important role in their community,” said Geraldina Herrera, CARE’s health sector assistant in Guatemala.

CARE’s project has addressed several critical issues:

Education and information

Both women and their communities are now better able to recognise danger signs and to know when medical treatment may be needed.

Transport

CARE has set up a fund to pay for emergency transfers. Transport is now available in all weathers and at all times. Radio communication has also been installed between remote communities and rescue services.

Healthcare

Hospitals are now providing better care and communities are more aware of their rights. As a result, there has been increased demand for health services by people living in poor communities who now know their rights and have learned how to advocate for themselves.

The Baja Verapaz project is just one of hundreds CARE runs to improve the lives of marginalised and poor women around the world. It is part-funded by the European Commission.