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Motivating Pregnant Women in Rural Malawi to Attend Antenatal Clinics
Sikelo ya amayi Oyembekezera ku Orant – Antenatal Care at Orant
Why do most women skip Antenatal Clinics in rural Malawi?
In most rural areas of Malawi, women tend to start their Antenatal Clinic visits late, and in the worst cases, they do not attend before they give birth. This challenge is due to cultural beliefs, economic barriers, poverty, negligence and ignorance. This poses an increased risk of serious medical complications for the pregnant women and their babies because otherwise medical staff cannot have information and birth plans for these women.
What is antenatal care?
According to a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO), antenatal care can be defined as “the care provided by skilled health-care professionals to pregnant women and adolescent girls in order to ensure the best health conditions for both mother and baby during pregnancy.”
Why is antenatal care important?
Antenatal care includes identifying risks and managing pregnancy-related complications, as well as health education. Attending Antenatal Clinics reduces the risk of death for mother and baby by ensuring they receive an appropriate level of care.
What is Orant doing to serve expectant mothers?
Chitenje cloth, a traditional Malawian fabric with ancient origins in Indonesia, is one of the important things that every pregnant woman is required to bring when coming for delivery. A woman is supposed to bring more than one chitenje. This can be a burden for a pregnant woman to buy several fabrics. Chitenje is used for many purposes, including clothing, swaddling for babies, and decoration.
With so many women starting Antenatal Clinics late and others coming just to give birth, our Healthcare program has started giving a chitenje to every pregnant woman who starts attending Antenatal Clinics in the first 12 weeks of their pregnancy. This will be a motivation for pregnant women to start attending Antenatal Clinics earlier in their pregnancy. This will lift a burden off pregnant women’s shoulders and help them in preparing for the birth of their child.
Our Antenatal Clinics provide pregnant women with the care they need to have a healthy pregnancy and greet the arrival of their new baby with joy! To learn more about Orant’s Healthcare program, please visit our Healthcare page.
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The Orant Journal
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