In a chilly postnatal ward at the Ambohidroa District Hospital, Mamy Rasoahariniaina wrapped her day-old son in a cotton cloth. She added a woolen hat, swaddled her newborn in a blanket and held him close in a warm embrace.
Nairobi, Kenya – In the outskirts of Nairobi is the sprawling Kangemi informal settlements. The slum is bustling with people; some cooking outside their shacks, others burning charcoal to sell or busying themselves with their food stalls. The sky is overcast and the air is cold. At the hall hired for the day’s outreach, bedsheets serve as makeshift partitions. This outreach is unique: Here, for the first time in Kenya, eligible clients will have access to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Melekoza, Ethiopia—Adugna Ayele and her husband Endrias Samuel have buried more children than they have living with them now. Of the six children Adugna delivered at home with the help of a traditional birth attendant, four died within the first month of life.
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.
