In Indonesia, the USAID-funded SMSBunda program provides timely health messages via text for pregnant women to help ensure a safe birth. Read how one Indonesian woman averted complications from hypertension.
Dozens of women arrived outside of a tent in Musanze, Rwanda, for the chance to reclaim their lives. Many of the women were suffering with obstetric fistula, a childbirth-related injury that can result in incontinence and stench. Because of this, some had been living in obscurity; some had been shunned by their families and friends; and many of them had been struggling to live quiet lives despite the pain and shame. Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that between 50,000 and 100,000 women are affected by obstetric fistula every year.
Lilian Novati was dreading a return to the overcrowded maternity ward where she had given birth years ago. Imagine her surprise at finding not only a renovated ward, but better care, too.
Every day 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. Helena’s story shows us it doesn’t have to be this way.
