Safer Healthcare for Mothers and Babies in South Sudan
Peace Winds recently began a new project that will improve maternal, child, and primary healthcare for more than 32,000 Sudanese refugees and others in northwestern South Sudan. Many of these are pregnant women and newborns who have little to no access to basic care.
Refugees and asylum-seekers are arriving at Wedweil Refugee Settlement each day in search of safety. The majority have fled the brutal civil war in Sudan. But the population surge is placing a heavy burden on the local community’s already-overstretched infrastructure. The thousands of refugees and local residents who live here rely on Wedweil’s Primary Health Center, which is woefully under-resourced.
The center has no official maternity ward, leaving midwives no choice but to care for pregnant mothers and their babies in a medical tent. So Peace Winds is building a new ward that will bring the health center’s maternity department up to national standards. It will be equipped for pre- and postnatal checkups, deliveries, and emergency obstetric care. The health center also does not have electricity at night, making nighttime deliveries nearly impossible. The new ward will change this by including a solar powered electricity system, which will also help keep refrigerators and security lights running.
Because water and sanitation facilities at the health center are dilapidated, too, Peace Winds is building water pumps, showers, and toilets that are gender-neutral and handicap-accessible. And we are working with health center management to establish Water Use Committees equipped with the tools to manage the new facilities in the long term. They will receive training through the program on cleaning, maintaining, and repairing the infrastructure.
Health care is most effective when it goes beyond the walls of a building, so Peace Winds’ new program will also expand education and awareness for the broader Wedweil community. Community Health and Nutrition Workers are local residents who receive training in basic hygiene management, infection prevention, and nutrition. They also establish an outreach network so they can teach others about these important topics and help them see a provider when they need it. In addition to these activities, Community Health and Nutrition Workers in Wedweil will help organize radio talk shows around health and hygiene awareness. These are an important communications tool locally and will increase the impact of face-to-face engagement.
We look forward to enabling safer healthcare access for displaced people and host community members in Wedweil. Your support will help us work toward this goal.