Kadoma’s story — Our Baylor-Uganda Grant for Transportation Gets Personal
Distance and lack of transportation are the biggest factors, but often other issues also stand in the way. That’s why we’re sharing Kadoma’s story.
It’s hard for anyone who lives steps away from trains, cars, taxis and ambulances to understand how nearly impossible it is for millions of women in developing countries to get prenatal care, deliver in health facilities and receive follow-up healthcare after their births. Distance and lack of transportation are the biggest factors, but often other issues also stand in the way. That’s why we’re sharing Kadoma’s story.
Kadoma is a mother of five who lives in Kanyegaramire Village, in the Kyenjojo district of Western Uganda. Her husband is a peasant farmer who works from morning until afternoon in the shamba (crop field). After lunch he spends time at a trading center with other men. The distance from Kanyegaramire to Kifuka, the nearest health facility, is 22 Km (about 13 miles). Traveling that distance on a Boda Boda (commercial motorcycle) costs 15,000 Ugandan shillings (about $5.00). Because of the distance and expense, Kadoma has always delivered at home, only sometimes with the help of a Traditional Birth Attendant who lives within walking distance.
The goal for essential prenatal care in Uganda is for women to see a trained health professional at least four times during her pregnancy, but Kadoma has only received care twice during any of her pregnancies. Kadoma explained that as her pregnancies progressed, walking 22 km was just too far. Kadoma says, “It has always been impossible for me and my fellow women to attend all four antenatal visits. We tried it, but failed due to the long distance to the health facility and also limited support from our husbands.” When she learned, however, that mothers who visit a health facility receive a card giving them access to future medical care in case she or her baby gets sick, she lobbied for her husband’s support to get prenatal services. Despite Kadoma’s best efforts, he wouldn’t allow it and wouldn’t tell her why, but Kadoma says that recently, when her husband was drunk, he confessed he was afraid of the results of the HIV test every mother gets.
In March this year, a Village Health Team (VHT) member visited Kadoma’s family and shared with both Kadoma and her husband the importance of attending antenatal care, delivering in a health facility, and visiting the health facility after delivering her baby. A VHT is a community health volunteer that supports basic healthcare, referrals and health education. He gave Kadoma a voucher to facilitate transportation for pregnant mothers for prenatal and emergency care with the “Boda for Mothers” team in her village. Kadoma was about five months pregnant in March and with the help of this voucher and Boda for Mothers, she was able to complete her four antenatal visits without difficulty.
Boda for Mothers is one of the programs we’re supporting through our Baylor-Uganda grant. Our grant will support a program where local motorcycle drivers help mothers get to a nearby health facility when it’s time for delivery. Baylor-Uganda trained the Boda drivers in safe motorbike riding, customer care and how to recognize delivery danger signs. Once they see these signs, they are able to call an emergency ambulance.
Because Kadoma lived in such a remote area, she was moved to the health facility two days before her expected delivery to make sure there were no delays in accessing care when she went into labor. She delivered right on time two days later and received a mama kit and basin, which eased some financial pressure on her family.
The VHT member in her village visited the family after delivery, taught them about proper baby care and feeding and reported that the baby looked healthy. Some other mothers in Kadoma’s village were overheard talking at their local church about how Kadoma was picked up by a trained rider to deliver at the health facility. Kadoma’s husband transported her to the health facility for postpartum care services and during this visit, Kadoma and her husband were introduced to Family Planning. They haven’t made a decision yet as to whether they’ll use it or not, but the fact that they now have a choice is a big step.
Our goal at Every Mother Counts is to help more women like Kadoma get the care they need by providing funding for more programs like Bodas for Mothers. Your donation to Every Mother Counts helps us keep programs like this running. With your help, we can save mothers, one motorcycle ride at a time.
