Mathurin, the future doctor
Zenaba Moussa is a refugee from Central African Republic (CAR) living in Southern Chad. She just gave birth to a young boy named after the doctor who helped her deliver her baby

“I was born in Central African Republic (CAR). I was 14 when my father died and I had to quit school. High school was to far from home, so I got married when I was 16 and I had my first baby the same year. Because I went to school, I already knew about the importance of antenatal care,” says Zenaba.

“The health center is quite far from here, especially when I was pregnant. Sometimes, we had no money for a moto taxi but we were really serious with my consultations and I did not miss any appointment. I was followed closely by doctors who gave me iron pills and I was vaccinated against tetanus.”

“When my water broke, it was already dark. There was no truck or taxi to take me to the health center. At 9:00 pm, a neighbor took me on his motor bike and called the doctor who came immediately and took care of us. At 11:00 pm, my baby was already born, when I saw it was a boy, I decided to name him after the doctor Mathurin.”

“I want him to be a good student and become a doctor because I did not have that chance. I cannot promise him too much, I sew clothes, and I sell onions and cakes on market days. I just hope for a bright future for him and my other children.”

Thanks to the support of the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), UNICEF has supported emergency health care to refugees and host populations affected by the CAR crisis in Southern Chad through the provision of integrated package of quality health interventions in particular access to HIV treatment, antenatal care and vaccination.
