Alawatu is a midwife in her local health clinic in Bofel village near the Coki Epicentre, Senegal.
Before The Hunger Project health clinic was established in Bofel, Alawatu had to deliver babies in people’s homes with no medical facilities or specialty care available to help her. Many women and babies died as a result. The health clinic has resulted in a dramatic drop in maternal deaths, to the point they have almost been eliminated completely!
Alawatu now provides prenatal care to women in the clinic. When they’re ready to give birth, she then travels with them – by horse and cart – to the nearest hospital. If they go into labour on the journey, she is able to assist them in the delivery of their baby. When they arrive at the hospital they receive any extra medical care they need in order to keep themselves and their babies healthy.
After the women have given birth, Alawatu takes them back to the clinic in Boffel where she cares for them until they are ready to go home. The new mothers and babies get a check-up visit every Monday by staff from the clinic and The Hunger Project organises community discussions, cooking demonstrations and talks on various health, sanitation and hygiene issues.
