Maternity clinic in Tanzania: A safe space for pregnant women
A life in health and dignity begins with a safe birth.
In Tanzania Malteser International supports pregnant vulnerable woman from Burundi and Tanzanian to access high quality maternal and obstetrics care during pregnancy and chhildbirth.
Tanzania: Complications during childbirth are a common cause of death
Giving birth to a child is one of life’s most intense experiences. Labor pains can last many hours and cause immense discomfort for women. Sometimes contractions weaken, the cervix does not dilate enough or the position of the child may not be suitable for a natural birth. Severe bleeding can also endanger the life of a mother and her child. There are many different reasons that make professional obstetric care essential for the survival of women and their newborns. In 2018, over 40,000 newborns died in Tanzania due to complications during birth or shortly thereafter.
Professional obstetrics can save the lives of pregnant women and their children
Malteser International and partner Red Cross is supporting pregnant women to access important maternal healthcare at a Malteser International-supported maternity clinic inside the Mtendeli refugee camp in Tanzania. The clinic, which includes a fully equipped delivery room, also provides emergency obstetric care to the Burundian refugees living in the camp as well as women from the local host communities.
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"A bridge between refugees and the host population"
While most of the pregnant women who visit the maternity clinic are Burundian refugees who fled to Tanzania after years of violence in their home country, the facility is also open to women from the surrounding communities.
"Our maternity clinic serves all women in the area and provides them with essential care," emphasizes Anne Hild, Malteser International's Country Manager for Tanzania. "Every woman counts, so do the lives of their newborns. We want to contribute to peaceful co-existence between the refugees and the host communities, and we are seeing how the shared experience of giving birth under one roof and supporting each other during the first days after childbirth is making that happen. The clinic is a bridge of cohesion for these two communities."
Oktober 2019, Susanna Cho
