In many countries the experience of pregnancy and childbirth still carries a mortal risk for a woman, and infancy remains a test of survival. We know why women and children die; there is no great science or mystery behind these deaths. The reasons can be described in almost infinite terms but the simplest answer is poverty.
African Mothers Health Initiative exists with the core knowledge that the lives of all women and children are precious. They are the center of everything we do. The ultimate goal is not a statistical change but the evolution of an environment in which women are free to experience and appreciate the birth process and motherhood as one of the great joys of human existence.
Though we have big dreams, at this point African Mothers Health Initiative (AMHI) and Chimwemwe mu'bereki (CU) are surviving hand-to-mouth. Because Bwaila is a referral hospital, women come from villages all over region to deliver there. This is our starting point. Nurses in the nursery maintain a log of all the babies who need follow-up at home, they obtain maps to their homes and then give the information to Beatrice. Since, CU has no vehicle its amazing staff of one - Mrs. Beatrice Namaleu, enrolled nurse - she travels via whatever transportation is available. A single visit commonly involves a 40 minute ride in a minibus followed by an hour long ride on the back of a bicycle.
