Newly constructed Maternity Annex and Mechanised Water System attracts expectant mothers at Bundabunda Health Care Facility.
By Tisa Banda. Communications and Donor Liaison Officer, Zambia
Nelia Banda, 27, is a dedicated mother and wife who takes great pleasure in caring for her husband and three daughters at their home in the Mwalwembe village of the Chongwe East Area Program.
Nelia has three different stories of how she delivered her children. Her most recent tale concerns the child she will give birth to on March 25, 2022. On the same day she gave birth to her third child, Nelia became the first woman to give birth in the new maternity annex at Bundabunda Rural Health Post.
She is a content mother because she was the first woman to give birth there.
“For the rest of my life, I will always treasure this day. To ensure that my daughter has a story to share about World Vision and Golf Fore Africa as she gets older, I will always discuss this experience with her. Imagine that I was the first person to use the delivery bed, blankets, flushable toilets, running showers, and other amenities in the annex, while my newborn child was the first to use all the equipment there. For the two days, I was at the clinic, I took three baths per day. I'm overjoyed,” said Nelia.
Nelia took showers in the morning and afternoon on the day she was discharged because she was so happy. The facility's clean water supply has made it easier to maintain personal hygiene. Unlike the mothers who, due to a lack of water at the clinic, did not bathe after giving birth.
Nelia compared the current situation to the births of her first and second pregnancies. She also emphasized how annoying it is to frequently use outdoor toilets and how exhausting it is to collect water for showers outside.
"Where I gave birth to my first and second children, there is no electricity. I don't have to go outside to take a bath, get water, or use the restroom because this maternity annex has electricity. Everything is done inside, including the shower, flushable toilets, and sinks with running water,” she said with a blushing smile on her face. "I am so grateful to World Vision and I am a very happy mother.”
Bundabunda Rural Health Post used to perform deliveries in a small room in the Out-Patient section before the maternity annex was built. There were only two beds in this
tiny room, and there was no running water. The mothers giving birth had no privacy because the recovery room was right next to the makeshift delivery room.
“We are so grateful for the maternity annex and the water system,” said Albert, a registered nurse at Bundabunda. "The maternity annex has brought so much joy and excitement to not only the women of Bundabunda but also to the staff because nothing of this nature has ever been constructed before from the time the village was established.”
Albert is also very pleased with the changes the maternity wing has made to the facility and the neighbourhood.
“Since the new maternity annex was put into service, The Health Clinic has so far kept track of 8 deliveries there. The clinic has been able to perform more deliveries at the facility thanks to the maternity annex's construction. Because they are content and have access to running water around the clock, pregnant women are also flocking to antenatal (mother and child) health services in large numbers. The environment is very friendly to expectant mothers and new parents, and the showers and toilets are always clean and easily accessible. For the maternity annex and the water system, World Vision and Golf Fore Africa have our entire staff at Bundabunda indebted,” said Albert.