Pre & Post Natal Checkups from the GN team
High maternal and child mortality rates have a devastating, multi-layered effect on communities. Nowhere is this more keenly felt than in Niger, where the worlds worst child mortality rate (117.3 per 1000) for children under 5 is perpetuated by epidemics of tuberculosis, AIDS, and malaria and extremely low coverage of child vaccination. Many of these deaths are preventable, but the economic struggles of the average Nigerien complicate help seeking behaviour. Over 50% of pregnant women in Niger are under 20 years old, which further increases the risk of mortality. An estimated 63% of pregnant women give birth at home with no assistance from healthcare professionals.
We have been working in Kollo Department for 11 years, an area vulnerable to severe malaria, which caused 84% of under 5 deaths in 2022. The Integrated Health Center, which serves the population of 57,000, currently employs two midwives and four nurses in a maternity ward with just four beds and one delivery room. The need for greater maternal and natal care capacity has been expressed at multiple meetings with government and community health workers. Nurses are working far beyond their capacity, treating 60 pregnancies and 700 children per month, leading some women to give birth on the floor.
What we’re going to do
Thanks to the Guernsey Overseas Aid Grant, the Hamdalleye IHC maternity ward will undergo a much-needed expansion and be outfitted to relieve this pressure. The facility will accommodate two additional midwives, and all staff will receive training to provide comprehensive prenatal, intrapartum, and postnatal care. A targeted malaria campaign will also be launched, focusing on screening and treating 1,000 children under five, while distributing 1,000 mosquito nets to protect families from the disease.
To address the issue of low check-up attendance and the prevalence of home births, we will train 20 volunteer mothers to deliver basic prenatal care and raise awareness about the benefits of facility-based care, as well as malaria prevention, in their communities. These combined efforts will create a safer environment for mothers and children in Hamdalleye, significantly reducing mortality and morbidity, and improving the quality of life in the region.
About Guernsey Overseas Aid
The Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission is dedicated to supporting humanitarian projects that tackle poverty, inequality, and health crises in developing countries. By funding initiatives that build local capacity and infrastructure, they empower communities to address critical challenges. Over the years, Guernsey Overseas Aid has contributed to numerous life-saving projects, ranging from healthcare improvements to educational and clean water access. We are proud to be working with them now toward our shared goal of reversing morbidity and alleviating some of the burdens from the mothers and children and Hamdallaye, Niger.
We hope that with the preservation of lives, Nigeriens will have the opportunity to support their communities and that vulnerable men, women and children can live without the burden of infant death and ill health. We expect to see a larger cultural shift in help seeking behaviours in rural villages, and greater capacity for medical services to support their communities.
We are sincerely thankful to Guernsey Overseas Aid for their contribution to this goal and look forward to working with them.
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