Brunswick Coastal Rotary Club Sets Capstone in Project to Improve Maternal Health Care for Women in Burundi
By: Members of the Brunswick Coastal Rotary
With the help of many in District 7780, including Bath Sunrise, Boothbay, Fryeburg Area, Kittery, Rochester, Oxford Hills, Saco Bay and Yarmouth Rotary Clubs, an ambulance was provided to the Village Health Works in Kigutu, Burundi.
Burundi has the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the East African region. Ways to reduce these rates are providing information to expectant mothers and their community, and reliable transportation to a medical facility. Brunswick Coastal Rotary partnered with the Bujumbura Rotary Club and the local clinic Village Health Works (VHW) located in Kigutu, Burundi to mitigate this problem. The late Brunswick Coastal Rotarian Dr. Susan Black, MD had volunteered there. VHW is an established clinic responsive to the community that provides quality, compassionate, and dignified healthcare and education to improve the lives of individuals and contribute to resilient communities.
In June 2023 VHW opened a 150-bed teaching hospital that brings advanced care to the community. Consultations with community representatives identified the need for a transport vehicle for expectant mothers in labor to access this community health facility. VHW offered to provide personnel, security and maintenance for the new ambulance. Community ownership of this lifesaving resource is provided by a nine-person committee elected from the community to pick sites for collecting patients and to coordinate road maintenance. Also provided is education for community health workers and for community members on the danger signs in pregnancy, the importance of delivery in a health facility, and the health problem danger signs for young children.
As seen in the photos, the ambulance has the Rotary logo and remembers the late Dr. Susan Black of Harpswell without whom this project would not have happened.
Sustainability of the maternal training and the transport capacity is provided via community oversight and VHW commitment to maintain this community resource. There are more photos on the Village Health Works website (Click HERE).
This successful project would not have been possible without the support of the District and 7780 Rotary Clubs.