Making Motherhood Safer in Mali

  • One in 22 women in Mali die in childbirth or from complications during pregnancy. MRDF's partner is supporting women by providing better education and healthcare in the Kassaro and Sebekoro communities of southwest Mali. A key aspect of MRDF's work in these areas is to support women to have healthy pregnancies and safer births.
  • Mai Traore, 32, is pregnant with her sixth baby. She attends the maternal health centre for a checkup to assess the health of her and her unborn child.
  • The nurse carries out regular check-ups to assess the growth, position and health of the baby. Here, the nurse checks the growth of Mai Traore's baby by measuring her stomach.
  • Sekoura Konare, 32, has lost eight babies through premature delivery, misscarriage and still birth. Having been supported through her ninth pregnancy by an MRDF trained nurse, this year she successfully gave birth to twin girls, Kafoune and Wassaba.
  • Sekoura attended regular check-ups during pregnancy, was assisted during birth and returns to the health centre to make sure the twins are healthy. She says 'I am really happy because this is a God given gift, it is not every woman that gets this gift of the two. I feel I am very happy to be given them. They are a miracle.'
  •  Nansa Diakite is an MRDF funded nurse working to treat children and  make giving birth safer in Kondou. She is excited by the improvements that have already been made to maternal health 'I work with the women during pregnancy to check them for diseases and check the progress of the pregnancy. Since I have worked here there are not so many problems because they follow my advice, and use my prescriptions. There are less complications in pregnancy now.'

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