Gender Equality Congo, Democratic Republic of the Project #35178

Fund Life Saving Maternal Care for Women in DRC

by Hope for Our Sisters, Inc.

Project Report | Jun 5, 2020
June 2020 Project Report

By Brooke F. Sulahian | President & Co-Founder

We excited to update you, our generous investors, on our efforts to provide life-saving maternal care through our Maternal Health Fund at the Wellness Clinic in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Because of your generosity and continued support, the Clinic is able to be a shining light of hope in this community.

According to our medical partners, the clinic continues to be even busier than ever! In April alone, the team at the Wellness Clinic reached a new record of 135 deliveries (36 cesarean and 99 vaginal deliveries) in one month!

If you look at the full quarter (February, April and March), 110 cesarean deliveries were performed. Out of these cesarean deliveries, nine women and their families were unable to pay any amount for their care and 101 were able to make a partial payment. As we have shared prior, the inability to pay can mean that health care is denied or that the mothers are held at the hospital until payment is made. The Maternal Health Fund, in which you invest, provides a way for these sisters to return home with their newborn babies and be reunited with their families. It is such a gift for them! Thank you for making this happen!

The clinic performed 214 vaginal deliveries as well. Delivering babies at the Clinic ensures the women, our sisters, are giving birth in the care of skilled attendants and/or doctors, which lowers the chance for fistula and stillbirth. Lastly, there were 544 prenatal visits during this quarter. Prenatal visits, which are critical for the safety of the mother and baby, would not be an option without the Clinic. In developed countries, prenatal care is expected and maybe even taken for granted by some. In the DRC, this is another priceless gift for these moms, their babies, and families.

Our main contact with the clinic, Dr. Myron, was unable to travel to Goma, DRC, in April due to COVID-19. Future travel will be planned as soon as he is able. It is an honor to partner with Dr. Myron, Chantal, and the full team at the Wellness Clinic. Thank you for enabling us to provide these avenues of health for our sisters in the DRC.

Even though COVID-19 reached the DRC with 3,195 cases and 72 deaths, women are still giving birth to babies, so the Maternal Health Fund is being fully utilized during this season.

Please reach out to us at info@hopeforoursisters.org with any questions about this project or HFOS' work in general. We also invite you to share our project page with your family and friends! The more awareness we can spread about the great need for cesarean deliveries and maternal care in Goma, the more lives we can touch and change together.

Goma Wellness Clinic Staff

Links:

Hope for Our Sisters, Inc. Website

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Feb 13, 2020
February 2020 Project Report

By Cara Brooks | HFOS Board of Directors Member

Hope For Our Sisters Inc. (HFOS) is pleased to share our quarterly update with all of the investors in our endeavor to help provide life-saving maternal care through the Maternal Health Fund at the Wellness Clinic in Goma, Democractic Republic of Congo. Because of your generosity and continued support, our partners report that the clinic is as busy as ever! Over November, December and January, 101 cesaren deliveries were performed. None of the mothers who required surgical intervention for a safe delivery were able to pay for their procedure in full, and thirteen women could pay nothing at all. In some places, women will simply be denied treatment if they cannot pay, or held on the hospital grounds until their families can come up with any money loaned to them. Our sisters in Goma are able to return home to other children, spouses and responsibilities, enjoying their babies without worries over catastrophic debts, because of what you have given.

We want to share that the wellness clinic is active in other important aspects of maternal care as well! There were 138 vaginal deliveries there over the three months, meaning women were safely assisted by a skilled birth attendant, which lowers the risk for complications for both mother (i.e. fistula) and baby (i.e., stillbirth). There were also 431 prenatal visits in this same quarter. It is important to know that in DR Congo overall, UNICEF reports a maternal mortality rate (MMR; death of the mother whil giving birth) of 693 per 100,000 live births. This is devastatingly high when compared to some developed countries that boast MMRs as low as three per 100,000 live births. Health education for both patients and the availability of high level care, like that provided by the Wellness Clinic, will help reduce DR Congo's MMR over time - but such change will require resources.

Our main contact with the clinic, Dr. Myron Glick, will be traveling to Goma in April and hopes to have some inspiring patient stories to bring back for us to share. We are honored to partner with providers like him and the other staff at the Wellness Clinic, and especially with you, our amazing friends in this work. Please reach out to us at info@hopeforoursisters.org with any questions about the project or HFOS' work in general. We also invite you to share our project page with your family and friends! The more awareness we can spread about the great need for cesarean deliveries and maternal care in Goma, the more lives we can touch and change together.

Warmest Regards,

Cara Brooks

HFOS Board of Directors Member

Links:

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Nov 18, 2019
November 2019 Project Report

By Cara Brooks | HFOS Board of Directors Member

Mother of Three

Hope For Our Sisters Inc. (HFOS) is pleased to share our quarterly update with all of the investors in this project. Our Maternal Health Fund at the Wellness Clinic in Goma, Democractic Republic of Congo continues to thrive and provide life-saving maternal care through your generosity. In the last three months, ninety cesarean deliveries were performed with usage of these funds. None of these mothers were able to pay for their cesarean deliveries in full, and twelve could pay nothing at all. Because of your support, these women had somewhere to turn so that they could safely bring their children into the world and return home to their families.

We also have two patient stories full of hope and joy to share with you:

The first set of triplets was delivered at the Wellness Clinic in this quarter! The babies were a good weight for high order multiples and are healthy. The doctors at the clinic attribute the success of this pregnancy and delivery to the ability to diagnose a triplet pregnancy with reliable ultrasound technology, provide ongoing quality prenatal care, and availability of a surgeon and well-equipped operating room for a cesarean delivery. We are so happy for these beautiful new babies and their family!

Second, wonderful care was provided to a mother who grew up as an orphan, raised by grandparents, and married young to a young husband. This couple has little financial means. The mother has required cesarean deliveries for each of her three pregnancies. With her first delivery, she was held at the birth hospital for three months until her husband could pay for her hospital fees. Her second delivery was paid for by Dr. Glick, one of our main contacts at the Wellness Clinic, when he met her during a visit to Goma. Her third delivery was paid for in full by the maternal health fund your investments have made possible. The mother was overjoyed to be able to deliver safely and go home with her baby in just one week.

We are honored to partner with you, our medical contacts at the Wellness Clinic, and the families we serve as we continue to provide funds for maternal care. Please reach out to us at info@hopeforoursisters.org with any questions about the project or HFOS' work in general. We also invite you to share our project page with your family and friends! The more awareness we can spread about the great need for cesarean deliveries and maternal care in Goma, the more lives we can touch and change together.

Warmest Regards,

Cara Brooks

Links:

HFOS Homepage

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