December 2007

And when they were there, the time came for Mary to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, for there was no place for them in the inn.

Dear Friends,

We are not told how long Mary labored or whether a local midwife assisted her in delivery. The account in Luke reads all nice and sweet: “the little Lord Jesus asleep in the hay…Holy Infant so tender and mild.”

But birth is messy. Painful. And dangerous in places like Mozambique today—where maternal mortality ranks among the world’s highest. Tete Province has one hospital. It’s 75 miles from many villages. When complications come, like a breech position delivery, a woman might have to go by bicycle, oxcart, or even a wheelbarrow to find help.

Nurse Sebber Banda teaches public health. With funding from Presbyterians, Amai (Mrs.) Banda has trained over 100 women as traditional birth attendants. Many were village midwives first taught by their elders. At least half are still illiterate, yet they have learned the basic skills.

Banda remembers the first class she led. “Over 80 women with their children came for three days. We did training at a church. Everyone just slept on the floor on reed mats. It was a challenge trying to manage so many at once. Now we limit our classes to 45 women for three different seminars of one day each.”

Women in rural Mozambique discuss health matters candidly when no men are present.

Topics include hygiene, prevention of cross-infection (including mother-to-child transmission of HIV), stages of labor, and how to handle the placenta. Though the attendants are only supposed to conduct deliveries when the mother cannot reach a health facility, most of them average 5-10 per month. They learn how to recognize potential complications. Amai Banda teaches, “If you see an arm…no!  Don’t touch the baby! Get the woman to a hospital.”

Each traditional birth attendant receives a kit containing clamps, scissors, forceps, trays, gloves, cotton, and pads. Training expenses include transport, food, and various teaching materials. The cost comes to about 200 dollars per woman. In lives saved: incalculable. Amai Banda reports that maternal mortality rates have fallen by almost half in Tete Province.

No child should come into this world without a mother. In this season when we celebrate our Savior’s birth, won’t you consider being a part of this vital ministry? Contact the Outreach Foundation to see how you can help a mother experience the joy of healthy childbirth.

We wish you the blessings of love, peace, joy, and hope this Christmastide.

Faithfully,

Ted and Sue

The 2007 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 337