Imagine you live in a rural village in Liberia, where pregnant women rely on the traditional tribal midwife (TTM) to deliver their babies. She’s an old woman. She delivered you, and you’re 16 years old! Your best friend, Fatu, is a year older than you.
Fatu got pregnant last year and when the pain grabbed her (when she went into labor), she relied on the TTM, just as your mother had when she delivered you and your younger siblings. This time something went wrong. Fatu was in labor for 5 days. The baby was stuck in the birth canal. You listened to your friend screaming in pain. Finally, the TTM said Fatu needed to get medical treatment.
When Fatu came back to the village, she was not the same. She was no longer the bubbly, outgoing friend you once knew. She had lost her baby and suffered an injury called obstetric fistula, causing her to leak urine. You hardly see her anymore because she’s ashamed of the smell it causes. When she did let you visit, she told you not to rely on the TTM when you get pregnant. She said you need to have a trained midwife tend to you.
Dignity:Liberia’s maternity waiting home, House of Hope and Dignity, is built: all interior and exterior work has been completed, it is painted inside and out, there is electricity, running water, rooms that can sleep two patients and beautiful landscaping, but no ambulance. The Ministry of Health requires that we have one before we can open our doors.
Why? Keep reading.
While in Liberia in March, Dignity:Liberia’s founder and president, Kathi Gutierrez, met a young woman who had just given birth. The mother told Kathi they had to cut her open for the birth of her boy whom she named “God’s Gift.” When she arrived at the hospital, they couldn’t find a heartbeat. They thought the baby had died in the womb. After the baby was born by C-Section, he wasn’t breathing. They took the baby upstairs to their NICU and worked on him. Eventually he started breathing! The nurses told the mother that God had special things in store for her baby.
Even with pre-natal care, things can go wrong during the delivery of a baby. If our medically trained midwife determines an expectant mother at our home needs to deliver in a clinic, we will need to be able to quickly and safely transport her by ambulance.
We hope the story of “God’s Gift” will inspire you to make a gift. For information on how to help us get our ambulance, go to our GoFundMe campaign, or go to our giving page.
Fatu got pregnant last year and when the pain grabbed her (when she went into labor), she relied on the TTM, just as your mother had when she delivered you and your younger siblings. This time something went wrong. Fatu was in labor for 5 days. The baby was stuck in the birth canal. You listened to your friend screaming in pain. Finally, the TTM said Fatu needed to get medical treatment.
When Fatu came back to the village, she was not the same. She was no longer the bubbly, outgoing friend you once knew. She had lost her baby and suffered an injury called obstetric fistula, causing her to leak urine. You hardly see her anymore because she’s ashamed of the smell it causes. When she did let you visit, she told you not to rely on the TTM when you get pregnant. She said you need to have a trained midwife tend to you.
Dignity:Liberia’s maternity waiting home, House of Hope and Dignity, is built: all interior and exterior work has been completed, it is painted inside and out, there is electricity, running water, rooms that can sleep two patients and beautiful landscaping, but no ambulance. The Ministry of Health requires that we have one before we can open our doors.
Why? Keep reading.
While in Liberia in March, Dignity:Liberia’s founder and president, Kathi Gutierrez, met a young woman who had just given birth. The mother told Kathi they had to cut her open for the birth of her boy whom she named “God’s Gift.” When she arrived at the hospital, they couldn’t find a heartbeat. They thought the baby had died in the womb. After the baby was born by C-Section, he wasn’t breathing. They took the baby upstairs to their NICU and worked on him. Eventually he started breathing! The nurses told the mother that God had special things in store for her baby.
Even with pre-natal care, things can go wrong during the delivery of a baby. If our medically trained midwife determines an expectant mother at our home needs to deliver in a clinic, we will need to be able to quickly and safely transport her by ambulance.
We hope the story of “God’s Gift” will inspire you to make a gift. For information on how to help us get our ambulance, go to our GoFundMe campaign, or go to our giving page.
 | Kathy Beth Stavinoha Kathy Beth graduated from high school in Monrovia, Liberia in 1977. She retired from St. Edward’s University in 2022 after 21+ years of service. She lives in Brenham, TX with her husband and cat. |
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