According to a recent CNN article, Kenya is considered
the most dangerous place in the world to be pregnant
A number of factors contribute to this situation:
- barriers to access including distance to hospital and prohibitive cost to travel
- low use of prenatal care services (only 50% of women attend even 1 prenatal care visit)
- high rates of home deliveries (up to 83% in rural areas)
But perhaps the most disturbing revelation is the impact of female genital mutilation (FGM) on maternal & neonatal health outcomes. Specifically FGM results in babies dying from asphyxia due to obstructions at the vaginal wall, and unfortunately most local providers are not properly trained in managing this complication.
So what are we doing about this?
Saving Mothers is pleased to announce our collaboration with 
to address this problem. Together we have developed a continuum of care program designed to promote prenatal care-seeking and improve perceptions of facility-based maternal care in rural Kenya
.
We are also working to train local providers on surgical procedures including those required to facilitate deliveries for patients with female genital mutilation (FGM). Another critical aspect of this collaboration involves piloting a low-tech preterm birth indicator in this population. We are very excited about this study, as the ability to predict preterm birth would enable providers in these communities to triage at-risk patients and ensure that they receive appropriate care: care which is essential to survival of the newborn. We are also pleased to announce that we have just received a grant from the Wan Family Foundation to expand our continuum of care program to include family planning services effective Spring 2016.
Please consider supporting our prenatal care program in Kenya