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In the small village near
Kakamega where she lives,
pregnant Muhonja could be
one of the lucky ones. And
she would have you to thank.
You see, with your help,
TropicalClinics Health
Center in Kakamega, Kenya
will be able to prevent
pregnancy-related deaths for
women like Muhonja.
 In
Africa, one in 16 women dies
because of obstetric
complications during
pregnancy, childbirth and
the immediate postpartum
period. "I use a razor,
scissors, and thread" says
traditional midwife Peris
Matakha, describing part of
her work in delivering a
baby. "Sometimes I use
gloves which I disinfect to
use for another job, that
is, if they are not torn."
Fifty-five year old Matakha,
who lives in the low-income
village of Kakamega assists
with about six births a
month, although this figure
can double during busy
periods. She is not a
skilled birth attendant and
her delivery services can
result in many
pregnancy-related
complications including
death.
The government's efforts to
train traditional midwives
like Matakha to reduce the
number of maternal deaths
have met with little
success. It simply does not
have enough hospitals,
clinics, and medical
personnel to help all
pregnant women deliver their
babies in an institutional
setting.
The good news is that
TropicalClinics has planned
an aggressive program to
prevent transfer of HIV
infection from mother to
child at birth,
pregnancy-related deaths and
other obstetric
complications.
Thanks to your generosity,
and that of many supporters
like you, this program is
scheduled to become a
reality in 2008, but we need
help. We must raise
$150,000 by March 10th to
ensure continued
construction on the new
clinic at Kakamega, keeping
us on track to open our
doors on time.
As part of this effort, I am
appealing to you to help
TropicalClinics offer
medical solutions to these
rural women, their children
and families; replacing
suffering and tears with
smiles.
Make a donation of $50 (or
any amount) today
to keep the construction of TropicalClinics health
center in Kakamega, Kenya
going forward. Together we
can ensure a healthy future
for women like Muhonja and
their babies.
Your Donation is tax deductible.
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If
Muhonja experienced
complications during
pregnancy and delivery she
will have to be transported
on a bicycle almost 10 miles
to the nearest medical
facility. Many pregnant
women do not make it to the
medical facility; they bleed
to death.