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The photo you see of a newborn was taken by Marie Arago. It was shot at a hospital in a subsistence farming area in a western part of Malawi near the Zambia border. The small, rural hospital is operated by Malawi Roman Catholic nuns. Their parish service area contains 60,000 people, including several thousands of women of child-bearing age. The maternity staff anticipates 4,000 deliveries per year. Country-wide, Malawi ranks third in the world in maternal deaths. HIV is heavily implicated in the 15% of complicated births requiring Cesarean sections, blood transfusions, fistula repairs, and the like. This hospital is presently unable to respond effectively to these problems, so the women in difficulty must be transported to a congested government hospital fifteen kilometers away. Some moms and newborns do not survive the trip. GAIA is presently helping to establish a 'safe birthing center' here, to include a new delivery environment and appropriate equipment -- a respirator, incubator, oxygen concentrator, sterilizer, and other equipment to save lives. We envision a day when pregnant women in this high HIV-prevalence rural area can count on safe and effective hospital care for themselves and their babies. Rev. Dr. William Rankin Email GAIA info@thegaia.org • Tel 415-461-7196 • Visit our website: http://www.thegaia.org |
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