We are so grateful to the BKFA Australia for their continued support with the birthing kits and for training the traditional midwives and birth attendant in Democratic Republic of Congo. Your support has brought great change and reduced infant mortality and morbidity and HIV infection.

 

It has also made the traditional midwives work well and be respected. We have been successful to get 2 lots of birthing kits, the first one of 9000 birthing kits that came direct to Kinshasa and the second one of 13.000 kits that came in the container and we also were able to locally produce 4.000 birthing kits. In total, we have had 26.000 kits for this year. This is first year that we have gotten so many kits and distributed many kits.

 

Birthing Kits Awareness

 We stated a new strategy this year of distributing the birthing kits and making it know among very many citizens and even people in the government. We produced 2.000 posters demonstrating the importance, and impact of the birthing kits in 2 languages Kiswahili and English. The posters were gives out in clinics, hospitals and health centers, traditional midwives also expectant women and in public places. We also produced radio shows in local languages on the importance and impact of birthing kits and promoting BKFA activities. We produced video documentaries of 10 minutes and 30 minutes respectively and bought a video projector with which we were showing movies in different villages. We challenged MPs of D.R.Congo Australia parliamentary friendship group to promote birthing kits in their provinces and districts and look at how they can help us in distributing them in future.

 

IMPACT OF BIRTHING KITS

     The kits were great instruments in reducing HIV/AIDS in expectant women, midwives and babies;

2.    They helped the traditional midwives and expectant women give birth in a clean environment;

3.    We were successful to reduce infant mortality rate at 90% especially in places where we trained the traditional midwives and distributed the birthing kits;

4.    Helped the TBAs to be respected and work under good conditions;

5.    Helped reduce other infections among traditional midwives , expectant women and babies;

6.    A great reduction in maternal death rates

 

Birthing Kits Distribution

 We distributed birthing kits in south and North Kivu Provinces and added other 3 provinces namely, Kinshasa rural, Bandundu and Bas Congo Provinces.

We distributed the kits us follows.

 

LOT N°01 (9.000 KITS)

 

PROVINCE	DISTRICT	Number of Kits received
SUD-KIVU (SOUTH-KIVU)	UVIRA	2000
	FIZI	1000
NORD –KIVU (NORTH-KIVU)	NYIRAGONGO	1000
KINSHASA RURAL	MALUKU	1000
BANDUNDU	IMBURU	1000
BAS-CONGO	KASANGULU	1000
SHABA	KALEMIE	1000
EQUATEUR	GEMENA	1000

 

TOTAL: 9.000 KITS

LOT N°02 (13.000 KITS)

 

PROVINCE	DISTRICT	Number of Kits received
SUD-KIVU (SOUTH-KIVU)	UVIRA	4000
	FIZI	2000
	WALUNGU	1000
	MWENGA	1000
	KABARE	1000
NORD –KIVU (NORTH-KIVU)	NYIRAGONGO	2000
	BENI	1000
SHABA	KALEMIE	1000

 

Total: 13.000 kits

 

Difficulties:

-      Distribution of the kits was not easy. We had to hire vehicles and motor bicycles to had to reach villages and distribute the birthing kits;

-      Kinshasa Rural, Bandundu and Bas-Congo provinces were new. The TBAs did not have any knowledge of the birthing kits and had never used the kits. We then had to organize some hours for educating the TBAs on the kits;

-      Some of the TBAs were illiterate si it took us time to  first educate them.

-      There are many difficulties that we went though but we have just indicated a few.

Birth House

We strarted a programme of constructing birth houses for traditional midwives who didnot have houses to perform deliveries. Before they used to deliver neborns in their livingrooms infront of the children and others slept in thatched houses which was uncormfortable to deliver in. This is a new programm and we kindly request for well wishers to support this programme so that we can support traditional midwives living in villages and rural areas where there is no health centres or hospitals.

 

We are so grateful to BKFA for all their efforts, sacrifice, love, care and support that your have continued to show to the traditional midwives, rural clinics and dispensaries so they may continue providing good and proper birthing to the women.

 

Your support has really changed lives of so many women and babies and reduced infant mortality and morbidity. We specially thank you for this year for providing us with 26.000 kits. It was a blessed year and is looking forward to get double the number of kits we got this year.

 

We thank you also for your collaboration and co-operation. On our side we shall try our best to promote the kits in the whole of DRCongo and central and east African countries.

 

Thanks and may God Bless you.

 

Dr Luc Mulimbalimba Masururu

MHCD Director.