Moa’s Birthing Center

Currently, the nearest clinic is a 45 minute walk to Kadaia which is down the slope of Moa and up the slopes of Kadaia.   It is mostly a narrow footpath, and partly a wider dirt road on the flatter portions.  Pregnant women from Moa who decide to make the trek to Kadaia will often give birth unattended on the way over.  I can only imagine what that walk is like in the rainy season.

Pictures of the footpath between Moa and Kadaia villages

The Moa community decided among themselves that a birthing center is their highest need.  With government support they started to build one in 2005 but ran out of funds the following year.  A few months ago the community received 40m TZ Schillings ($25,000).  They are now mid construction and hope to have it complete in a few months.

Speaking of construction, the men working on this project were in sandals and did not wear hardhats.  If there is scaffolding, it is built from tree logs, which is probably why we don’t see many buildings over a few stories tall.   Considering the limited supplies, construction moves along quickly (when there is funding).  Workers usually come from neighboring villages and want to get home before dark.  We surmise that there is no “overtime pay” because the men seem eager to get done and started on the next project.

 Questions left to be answered:

• Who will staff the Moa clinic and birthing center?
• How will they fill the shortfall in skilled personnel?
• Who will fund health worker training and payment?
• How can we help in a sustainable way? The villagers flock to the clinics when they hear that muzungus are working there, but what happens when they leave? Things that might be help…..  Easy infant resuscitation training manual
• Midwife/Emergency OB course
• SUPPLIES!
•  A local translator

 Construction work on the Moa clinic continues