Laikipia 'Goat for delivery' initiative ending maternal deaths

For a decade, Ms Maria Nkisuya, 45, worked as a traditional midwife in Naiperere Rongai village, Laikipia North.

The huge demand for her services was due to many women disregarding hospital services. She would traverse the village to respond to numerous requests from women whose delivery time was due. She would also respond to emergencies.

“I used to assist women deliver inside their manyattas. But sometimes it would turn tragic whenever my patients experienced excessive bleeding. In some instances, this would lead to deaths,” Ms Nkisuya recounts.

But six years ago, she made a U-turn and abandoned traditional midwifery after she started losing many mothers and their newborns during deliveries.

Step in the right direction

“I just woke up one day and decided to let go of the practice. This caught many of the villagers by surprise, but it is the best step I have ever made,” she says.

Ms Nkisuya is among hundreds of traditional birth attendants who have now transformed into traditional birth companions. They are hospital care and delivery champions.

In January, she received seven goats from the county government of Laikipia as a token for assisting women to deliver and undergo full antenatal care at healthcare facilities. In December last year, Ms Nkisuya received another seven goats for similar efforts to eradicate maternal deaths.

The devolved unit has rewarded her for persuading seven women from her community to deliver safely at Ewaso and Kimanjo health facilities.

“Women in the community have now started seeing the benefits of seeking skilled care whenever they are pregnant. I was actively involved in making follow-ups to ensure they attend antenatal clinics, as well as accompanying them during their deliveries,” she says at Ewaso health facility.

Despite a poor roadwork and the danger of roaming wild animals, she uses bodabodas (motorbikes) to reach out to mothers.

Blessing

“I was privileged to be honoured with seven goats last year and each of the goats gave birth to twins. I did not own a goat before and I can attest that there is blessing in assisting a fellow woman to give birth,” she says.

The 'Goat for delivery' programme was rolled out by Governor Ndiritu Muriithi’s wife Maria Mbeneka, and is an incentive meant to tap more traditional birth attendants as partners in the fight against maternal deaths.

Ms Mbeneka says the initiative, rolled out in partnership with the Laikipia Health Service (formerly Laikipia department of Health), is meant to unchain the community from the retrogressive cultural practices that encourage women to seek traditional birth services.

“When I started this project, I didn’t expect it to be received positively. We are experiencing an increase in women who are delivering safely in our medical facilities,” Ms Mbeneka says.

“This programme involves women and elders in the community doing thorough sensitisation at the grassroots. The percentage of women receiving antenatal care has increased from 42 per cent to 64 per cent.”

Ms Mbeneka issued 70 goats to 50 women at Kimanjo and Ewaso health facilities.

@Jamesmurymy; [email protected]