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Kenya: Goat Initiative Saving Pregnant Women’s Lives in Laikipia

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4 years ago

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For over a decade, Ms Milka Kaparo and Ms Elizabeth Nasipa have been assisting expectant mothers to deliver babies in their homesteads or manyattas.

They are among hundreds of renowned traditional birth attendants in Laikipia North sub-county and their services are in high demand.

But recently, Ms Kaparo and Ms Nasipa were among 95 women who graduated from being traditional birth attendants to traditional birth companions.

This followed a three-day training programme sponsored by the Ministry of Health in Kimanjo village.

Ms Kaparo says a majority of women who underwent female genital mutilation (FGM) in the area are afraid of delivering in healthcare facilities and seek assistance from unskilled traditional birth attendants.

“In some instances, skilled birth attendants in healthcare centres use knives and scissors to ensure that babies are delivered safely with ease. The majority of women who underwent FGM are still stigmatised and afraid to deliver in hospitals,” she says.

Ms Nasipa says more women lose their lives or their children during home delivery compared with women who deliver in hospitals.

“In hospitals, emergency cases are handled professionally and maternal deaths are averted. Deaths in manyattas are a result of a lack of skilled care. We were unable to control excessive bleeding among our patients,” Ms Nasipa says.

The 95 traditional birth companions are now holding sensitisation drives in villages to woo expectant mothers and ensure that they accompany them to the nearest health centres.

Apart from receiving certificates at the graduation ceremony held at Kimanjo Level Four Hospital, each received a goat for every mother they helped to attend antenatal clinics and deliver safely in health facilities.

Mama kit incentive

The ‘goat-for-delivery’ programme, rolled out by Laikipia County First Lady Maria Mbeneka, is an incentive to tap more traditional birth attendants as partners in the fight against maternal deaths.

Over the years, the government has discouraged traditional birth attendants and emphasised that expectant women deliver in health facilities, where they are assisted by skilled birth attendants.

“We have taken that role of issuing a goat to the traditional birth attendants for every mother they take to a healthcare facility for safe delivery. There are some women who have each received 10 goats and this is encouraging,” Ms Mbeneka says.