Giving HOPE to the Hopeless: Snapshots from Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is a country of rich natural beauty, but it is also one wrought by natural disasters, political instability and health crises — a country where having a safe pregnancy and raising a healthy baby is more challenging than it should be.
To be pregnant in Sierra Leone is to face formidable odds – to undertake a vulnerable journey of personal triumph and tragedy.
The maternal mortality rate is higher here than anywhere else in the world, at 1,360 deaths per 100,000 live births. One in 17 women will die during pregnancy or delivery. The country also has one of the highest infant mortality rates. Most of these deaths (an estimated 70%) could be prevented if the health system is strengthened: There’s a dire shortage of trained health professionals and a life-threatening lack of resources. The ratio of health workers to the general population is alarmingly low — there’s less than one doctor for every 20,000 people.
Project HOPE is on the ground working to address these challenges, helping health professionals take control to put an end to preventable deaths. We facilitate training for health workers, mentorship programs for new mothers, and the rehabilitation and renovation of hospital facilities. Our work extends beyond hospital walls, too: We strengthen the ability of mother support groups to recognize and respond to newborn health issues in their homes and communities.
To support these women, and their young ones, is a cornerstone of our work at Project HOPE. Each of these women is deeply maternal — fierce and nurturing — and, with support from Project HOPE, they’re becoming ever more resilient. Their stories remind us of their perseverance, and the treatment and training that has made the difference.
Securing a lifelong bond between mother and daughter
Musu Yambasu, 40, has a history of giving birth to small babies. Her seventh child, born in June, was no exception. But this is her first to be treated with Kangaroo Mother Care, a simple intervention in which the baby is protectively wrapped skin-on-skin to the mother’s chest for warmth, creating a kangaroo-like pouch that simulates the womb.
In hospitals where resources and equipment (e.g., incubators and baby warmers) are scarce, KMC can be a lifesaving method for premature and low birthweight newborns. Project HOPE promotes the creation of KMC units in Sierra Leone to improve their chances of survival.
When we met Musu, she’d been in the KMC unit at Bo Government Hospital for nine days. She was happy to have given birth here, to receive a level of care she’s never experienced before, and says she’s bonded more quickly with this baby than she did with any of her others. As we spoke, her tiny baby slept soundly on her chest, wrapped snugly in a green-and-pink-patterned fabric.
“I’ve really enjoyed the skin-to-skin. I’m seeing the difference. I’m enjoying the bonding and closeness with my daughter,” she told us. “And I’ve learned a whole lot.”
The teaching and mentorship she’s received will stay with her when she goes home and reunites with the rest of her family – which will be soon.
Caring for 1.3 pounds of baby Augustine
Theresa Massaquoi, 20, was in her seventh month of pregnancy when she began experiencing terrible abdominal pains. Desperate to save her unborn baby, she jumped on the back of an okada (a motorcycle taxi) and headed to the hospital. Baby Augustine was born after an emergency C-section, weighing in at only 1.3 pounds. He was so tiny that Theresa was afraid to hold him.
Thanks to funding from Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a longtime partner of Project HOPE, the hospital has a Special Baby Care unit. This is where Augustine spent the first month of his life. But his time in the hospital didn’t end there. Still too small to send home, the hospital admitted Theresa and Augustine to the KMC ward next. “He was so tiny,” Theresa says. “I was afraid to hold him. The nurses encouraged me and taught me so much.”
Baby Augustine is now 9 months old — he’s still small, but he’s healthy, active and thriving. “I am so grateful to Project HOPE,” Theresa says. “You are giving hope to the hopeless.”
Instilling hope in a first-time mother
At age 16, Haja Sannoh gave birth to her first child, Salamantu, earlier this year. Salamantu spent a week in the SBCU of Bo Government Hospital after being born at just 3.3 pounds. She was transferred to the KMC ward afterwards, and discharged once she’d gained enough weight.
While at the hospital, Haja learned the KMC method and other valuable lessons to help her take proper care of Salamantu. “I learned positioning, skin-to-skin, exclusive breastfeeding, and how to observe danger signs,” she says. “I also learned how to stimulate the baby in case she forgets to breathe.”
Haja recently returned to the hospital to express her gratitude and show off her healthy baby girl to her team of nurses. When asked what she hopes for her daughter’s future, she answered, “I want to see my baby girl become president.”
Celebrating motherhood through song
Project HOPE provides a continuum of care that extends all the way into homes and villages, where we facilitate approximately 21 mother care groups. Each group consists of about 20 mothers and is led by a Project HOPE-trained lead mother. During weekly meetings, women sing and dance to songs that include lyrics about pre- and post-natal care. The songs are a powerful way to teach and instill important lessons about caring for themselves and their newborns, as most of the mothers never completed their formal educations.
Mary Aruna, 32, belongs to one of these groups in the small village of Yamandu, and is currently pregnant with her third child. She didn’t know about exclusive breastfeeding and the importance of a hospital delivery when she had her first two children, now 9 and 12. Both were born at home. This time will be different. She’ll be practicing what she’s learned in the mother care group. She plans to deliver this child in the hospital and says she will breastfeed exclusively and on demand (not just at specific times during the day). She has also learned about family planning and hygiene through the group, as well as malaria prevention (using mosquito nets).
How you can help
Make a lifesaving gift to support our work now and for the future at projecthope.org/donate.
Are you a health-care or other professional who would like to learn more about volunteering abroad with Project HOPE? Learn more about our volunteer program and join our volunteer roster.
Stay up-to-date on this story and our lifesaving work around the world by following us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, and help spread the word by sharing stories that move and inspire you.