We've spent the last few days in a small village outside the town of Kasana in the Lerrwero district. Here we were working with an organization called Shanti Uganda founded by a 27 year old women from Toronto named Natalie). The Off The Mat Into The World Seva Challenge was able to to provide Shanti Uganda with $150,000 to build a new birthing center for a group of women who are HIV/Aids positive. I've spent the past 3 days at the site ands it's going to be amazing!
Up till now, the options available to these women for how to birth their babies are beyond dismal. Not only do they have little or no access to education regarding the HIV/Aids and how to take care of themselves and their babies who will most likely also be born infected, but the don't even have a clean and safe place to go to birth their babies. Needless to say, a high percentage of these women and children are dying in the child birthing process.
There are hospitals here but they are very far away and these women would have to walk a n incredible distance (sometimes even for days) to get there. Once there, the protocol for birthing babies is to basically strap the women down to cots with their feet tied up in stirrups and not allow them to move through out their labor and delivery. Why? For one thing, they have no way to keep the birthing area clean and sterile. All they can use is one piece of plastic under each woman. Because of this they have to make sure no blood or anything gets anywhere other than on that piece of plastic. Many of these women end up having to have c-sections often times with no anesthesia and no sterile surgical equipment. It's so scary for them and as a result most women will choose instead to give birth in their homes. Just in case you have a romantic idea of what a home birth in a rural area of Uganda might be like, let me tell you that most of these women are so poor that their homes are dirty and uncomfortable and the babies are being delivered in unsafe ways with little knowledgeable supervision. Again, a high percentage of these women and babies are dying during the birthing process and many more after due to the HIV/Aids virus which they themselves might not even know that they have and even if they do, can't get medication for themselves or have their babies tested.
Natalie's vision for this new birthing center in holistic and completely sustainable. It will have a building for pre and post natal check ups, a room with beds for the women to stay in while laboring, a birthing room that will even have a birthing tub in it, a sterile room to hold all the birthing supplies (and our group brought enough donated supplies to keep it stocked for a long time!), a recovery room for mommy and baby after birth (in hospitals they are forced to leave right away) and 6 fully trained mid wives on staff. The birthing center will also have a community house where both Men and Women will be educated about the HIV/Aids virus and how to avoid spreading it as well as a place to come and learn various skills (like beading and textiles).
While it will take another year until completion, this project is already having strong effects on the Kasana community as it has provided employment to many son's in the area who had no source of income before hand. We worked hard side by side with them mixing mud, and laying bricks. Women too are involved, planning and starting an organic farm on the premises offering their input and letting Natalie, the founder of Shanti Uganda, know what their needs are and about their important birthing traditions. In this way, some of their methods can be gracefully combined with some of the more modern midwifery techniques that will be used.
We worked long and hard, and ended our time there with a short yoga class for the workmen who eagerly asked “What is yoga?” (they were very strong & very flexible, must be all the manual labor) and ended the night with a bonfire full of signing and dancing.
The Shanti Uganda birthing center in going to have so much heart and the women are beyond grateful and joyous for the potential it holds.
Words can't express how grateful I am to all of you that made this trip possible for me and I feel that I am simply the conduit that is allowing your compassion and belief that all Beings have the right to live a healthy and happy life to reach the people of Uganda.
Today we are off to the New Hope Orphanage. The children there, again, are ALL HIV/Aids positive. I anticipate a day of both laughter and tears.
With Love,
Sofi
I completely enjoyed this post
Great Benefits of Yoga
Posted by: sumitha | February 17, 2010 at 01:22 AM
I just realized I'll still be typing next week if I keep talking about the great stuff we've gotten, so I'm going to list it!
Posted by: MBT Online | July 29, 2011 at 04:32 AM