By Marie Williamson, Medical Officer, Velondriake, Madagascar
In Madagascar—where women face a 1 in 43 lifetime risk of maternal death—community mobilisation can improve maternal health outcomes. In rural areas, clinics and hospitals are located far from many villages, which means that transport in emergency situations is vital for reducing delays in getting women the care they urgently need. Simple community-led initiatives tackling such problems can have a great impact, as evidenced by the recent efforts of a women’s group in the village of Andalambezo on Madagascar’s remote southwest coast.
Following a devastating series of maternal and newborn deaths in Andalambezo, the local community health worker, who distributes contraceptives and provides antenatal and postnatal educational home visits, felt moved to mobilise her peers to take action to address this problem…
This story originally appeared on the Maternal Health Task Force blog. Read the full post here.
