“When I arrived here, I was eight months pregnant and didn’t have the money to go to the hospital to give birth.”
For Safa, a woman living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, pregnancy unfolded against the backdrop of war.
After violence and bombardments by the M23 rebel group forced families to flee their village of Minembwe, Safa escaped to an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Uvira, carrying little more than hope for the safe arrival of her baby.
With no money for hospital care and limited access to medical support, the situation was dire.
But thanks to a Clean Birth Kit distributed through Birthing Kit Foundation Australia (BKFA) partner Mission in Health Care and Development (MHCD), a traditional midwife in the camp was able to safely assist with the birth.
Today, Safa and her baby are both doing well.
Safa’s story is one of thousands emerging from communities across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where ongoing conflict, displacement and poverty continue to place women and babies at enormous risk during childbirth.
Over the past year alone, 38,500 Clean Birth Kits were distributed through MHCD-supported programs across remote villages, hospitals, clinics and communities impacted by conflict throughout the region.
The kits reached women in Uvira Territory, Fizi Territory, Walungu Territory, North Kivu Province, Burundi and Central Kassai Province, supporting births in settings where access to clean medical supplies can be limited or non-existent.
As the end of the financial year approaches, we’re encouraging Australians to support our work through tax-deductible donations, helping fund the continued distribution of Clean Birth Kits to women and babies in vulnerable communities around the world.