MOMS midwives return to Sierra Leone in June

Submitted Photo

A native child in Sierra Leone.

MOMS, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to improving maternal/child health and maternity outcomes, is returning to Sierra Leone, West Africa in June to provide training to the Traditional Birth Attendents.

MOMS sent three delegates to Sierra Leone last December to do a needs assessment on the training of the Traditional Birth Attendants. While they were in country, they met with the Ministry of Health, the U.S. ambassador, local and regional leadership, and the TBA's in the Jawei Chiefdom.

Future plans include working with the Ministry of Health to develop a curriculum that is comprehensive and meets the needs of the TBA's to improve the maternity care they offer. This will in turn improve maternity outcomes and infant mortalities. They anticipate the project will take five to ten years to complete the training throughout the rural regions of the country and train the Sierra Leoneans to take over the program.

MOMS plans to return in June with local midwife Sudy Storm who will conduct a one month training program for the TBA's in Ward IV of the Jawei Chiefdom.

She will live in the village of Pellie which in near the Liberian border.

This region was one of the hardest hit by the recent civil war so the poverty there is the worst in the whole country. Following her arrival in Freetown, Sudy will travel for two days to reach the village. She will travel by car for one day to the village of Daru. The next day will mean a 19-mile drive on rutted, four-wheel-drive roads to the river. She will then cross the river by dugout canoe and hike four miles to Pellie. Under these travel conditions emergency medical transport is not an option so it is imperative that the TBA's of the region be trained to identify and treat as much as they can.

Pellie has a Health Outpost that serves 18 villages. There is no doctor, only the chief dispenser in charge, Sulaiman. He dispenses the few analgesics and antibiotics he can get and offers what health care he can but it certainly does not meet the needs of the people.

Some of the TBA's will walk for four hours to attend the classes that MOMS will offer. Many of these amazing women have had no training whatsoever.

The illiteracy rate for women in Sierra Leone is 80 percent so Sudy will use some creative teaching methods.

All are invited to an evening of pictures and stories on Thursday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. The presentation will be held at the International School of Traditional Midwifery at 1409 N. Hwy 99 in Ashland. For questions, directions, or if you would like to get involved call 488-8254. A list of needed supplies is also available.