Rotary Club of Vacaville helps bring maternity care to Kenya
Can you imagine giving birth in the dirt, or in a facility with no running water or restrooms?
Such was the plight of women in Sega, Kenya, until The Vacaville Rotary Club, with the aid of other groups both local and worldwide, to bring a maternity unit into the fold.
On Thursday, Vacaville Rotary officials spoke of the recent opening of the facility and how it came about.
In 2018, the founder of Goal4.org, Piper Gianola, approached the club about partnering to renovate the existing facility and bringing maternity health into the fold, said Rotary member Sherri McBride.
The town consists of 18 villages and 10,000 people, with 46% of women declining care at the existing facility. The mortality rate of women and babies, officials said, was double the national average.
Soon, the Sega Safe Birth Project was created.
Vacaville Rotary was aided by the Rotary Foundation and the Rotary Club of Siaya, Kenya, as well as Goal4,org. A total of $58,000 went into the project.
Installed were flush toilets, sinks and showers. Drainage and septic systems were built. Crafted were a dedicated maternity ward, laundry room, kitchen and restrooms, and education and training were also highly prioritized.
One of the many goals, officials advised, was to give moms the knowledge they need to save the lives of their children and themselves.
The facility was completed in January and more work is planned.
Hopes call for more staff, more training, more equipment, transportation and more.
“We heard talk that the people in the village are so happy with it, so proud of it,” said Carol Landry, a Rotary member involved in the project. “It was challenging. There were cultural differences, internet connection (issues)…”
Eleven babies have since been born in the facility, which opened in March. Last year, 40 babies were born in the old unit.
“This is probably one of the most important projects we've done,” Landry emphasized.