<![CDATA[Childbirth Survival International (CSI) - CSI Blog]]>Tue, 23 Apr 2024 06:50:44 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Bridging the Digital Divide: Addressing Reproductive Health]]>Sat, 27 Nov 2021 18:49:22 GMThttps://childbirthsurvivalinternational.org/csi-blog/bridging-the-digital-divide-addressing-reproductive-healthPicture
​​In 2017, as part of the theme for the International Day of the Girl Child, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that “during crises, girls face intensified challenges to their sexual, reproductive health.1” Over the past 20 months, the world has been grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, which has affected many programs geared towards protecting women and girls. As we move forward and begin to recover from the effects of this pandemic, we must revisit and highlight this key message from the WHO to address development, safety, and health, particularly reproductive health of women and girls around the world.
 
Adolescent pregnancy (girls between 15-19 years old) is a global issue of public health concern and occurs at consistently higher rates in marginalized and socioeconomically challenged communities. As of January 2020, the WHO estimated that 21 million girls aged 15-19 years in developing regions become pregnant and 12 million give birth2. In these young mothers, pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading causes of death and adolescent girls are at a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications such as eclampsia and septic infections2. Additionally, due to the young age of the mothers and other social and cultural challenges they navigate as young mothers, newborns of adolescent girls are likely to have poor health outcomes.
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these maternal health conditions, and the adverse impact of this pandemic is yet to be comprehended. A 2020 report by the United Nations Women highlights that over the past 12 months, “243 million women and girls aged 15-49 have been subjected to sexual and/or physical violence…3”. They estimated that these numbers are likely to increase as nations continue to implement public health measures and mandates to curb the rising rates of COVID-19 infection. While countries like the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Argentina, and others transitioned to using online technology to ensure the protection of women and girls, several developing countries could not implement similar innovative solutions due to a lack of access to digital resources.
 
Following the commemoration of 2021 international day of the girl child theme, “Digital generation. Our generation,4” stakeholders, advocates, and leaders must recognize that in bridging the digital gap globally, it is necessary to:
  • Ensure equitable access to technology and empower girls to learn how to use digital resources to stand up and speak out to mobilize action within their families and communities.
  • Ensure girls have access to educational resources on reproductive health such as preventing sexually transmitted infections, contraceptives, PrEP, and more.
  • Ensure that girls have the opportunity to engage with communities around the world to end violence against girls.
  • Ensure girls have a safe space to share their experiences and how some policies directly impact their ability to live to their full potential.
By bridging the digital divide, we ensure that girls' voices are HEARD, and their health is at the center of the equity discussion. 

References:
  1. International Day of the girl child 2017: empower girls. World Health Organization. (2017, October 11). Retrieved October 11, 2021, from https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/gender_rights/girls-international-day-2017/en/  
  2. Adolescent pregnancy. World Health Organization. (2020, January 31). Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-pregnancy  
  3. United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women). (2020). (issue brief). COVID-19 and ending violence against women and girls (Ser. EVAW COVID-19 briefs, pp. 1–10). 
  4. International Day of the girl child. United Nations. (n.d.). Retrieved October 9, 2021, from https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day       

By: Palmira Mangae
]]><![CDATA[CSI Uganda Maternal Health Advocate: Surviving pre-eclampsia and how preterm birth changed her life]]>Thu, 28 Jan 2021 16:45:45 GMThttps://childbirthsurvivalinternational.org/csi-blog/csi-uganda-maternal-health-advocate-surviving-pre-eclampsia-and-how-preterm-birth-changed-her-lifePicture
Motherhood has been a sweet and bittersweet journey! The sweetness started in 2014 with the birth of my first child. The pregnancy was not complicated and the birth was not like what I thought. I was in labor for about 10-15 minutes and there he was! All the experiences that people had told me; my friends had shared with me about how scary and hard labor was, I didn't really experience that, and I thank God. Yes, the pain was there, but my baby came as an easy child. Raising him was a little bit challenging because I didn’t have my mother by my side; and usually in our culture after a woman gives birth, she will go back home so that her mother nurses her during the postpartum period. I never got all those privileges because I lost my mother in 2012, so it was "do it yourself all the way". I had to learn through experimenting a lot with my first baby. I remember not even knowing how to shower him the first time, it's a neighbor that came and told me, "Eh, you have to shower the baby! You came back yesterday, you didn’t shower the baby, maybe that's why he's crying." So it was mostly joint effort from myself and well-wishers around me that helped me to raise my first baby. It was a bit challenging but because I was not working during that time, I had the opportunity to attend to my baby until he was about one year and a half; that's when I started working. I went through the whole process with him and I learnt a lot from him. There are a lot of ups and downs being a first-time newborn mother!
 
The second pregnancy was a little bit more challenging than the first--the bittersweet! I was pregnant in the middle of a global pandemic, working full-time and managing other responsibilities at home and in my community. During my pregnancy, I developed severe pre-eclampsia and I was not fully aware about the risks and how it affected my unborn baby. My feet were very swollen, I was not feeling well, and it resulted in an emergency C-section (Caesarian section) birth of my daughter before 40 weeks gestations. Compared to my first child, the birth of my daughter was different. Reflecting on the pain and entire ordeal of a C-section birth, I do not know how healthy low-risk pregnant woman can opt for a C-section without first trying natural birth. I believe natural birth is the easiest: I think it’s the best way to give birth if there’s no risk for mom and baby. The incision from the surgery was so painful and because of the severe pre-eclampsia, I gave birth preterm; my baby had to come early in order to save her life and mine. After the birth of my daughter, I had to be in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for over a month for continuous monitoring and medical care. I thank God that I have sailed through till now and that I am able to hold and mother my two children. Today, Hollie, is almost seven months, still breastfeeding, growing well, and we are grateful that she has no preterm complications. Unlike with my son where I had the opportunity to stay home for a long time and take care of him, with the birth of Hollie, I had to go back to work after the end of my three months maternity leave. Leaving a preterm baby that early was not easy but I was getting a lot of support from my husband; from my sisters and my brother who came in and supported me and looked after the baby. Also, COVID-19 came as a blessing in disguise! My sister gets to work from home and take care of my baby when I am at work. It’s not been easy balancing going to work while caring for a preterm baby, but I am sailing through taking one day at a time.

As a long-standing and active team member of Childbirth Survival International in Uganda, I have always been involved in grassroots level work to improve maternal and child health literacy, health service access, and support pregnant women make timely and informed decisions. I didn’t know, I would suffer from pre-eclampsia! After experiencing it and surviving, I am compelled to share my story and help many more pregnant women in Uganda learn about pre-eclampsia, encourage them to seek and receive quality maternal health care, and have a supportive network to increase chances of a positive pregnancy and birth outcome.  

Click here to read Brenda Matama's story.
Picture
Brenda Matama, pregnant with Hollie, educates 300+ pregnant women in Wakiso, about safe motherhood, importance of delivering with a skilled birth attendant to save lives, and direct link between maternal health and newborn health.
]]><![CDATA[IDG 2018 “With Her: A Skilled GirlForce"]]>Thu, 11 Oct 2018 19:02:30 GMThttps://childbirthsurvivalinternational.org/csi-blog/idg-2018-with-her-a-skilled-girlforce
On this International Day of the Girl Child (IDG) 2018, CSI celebrates amazing girls who held onto their dreams long enough to achieve them and become GirlForces in their families, communities, and country. Happy International Day of the Girl Child!
​
“A woman’s ability to determine what to do with her body, her life, and her future determines her reality.” – Global Fund for Women CEO & President, Musimbi Kanyoro.
​
​Every great idea begins with just an inkling of the possibility of what could be. It is through education that we are able to shape our ideas, hone our vision, and create a new reality. We are empowered through education: personally, socially and economically.  For adolescent girls, a quarter of whom remain unenrolled in formal school or vocational training internationally, education can change their world!

On IDG 2018, ​the United Nations, advocates for girls education, partner organizations including CSI bring focus to the power of education and the impact it has on the lives of girls and women. We know that girls anywhere in the world who are able to remain in school beyond their primary years are less likely to get married or to become pregnant during adolescence. Personal agency and financial stability are achievable when girls stay in school longer and attain higher levels of education. When personal agency and financial stability are achieved, girls and women are then able to start their own businesses, seek jobs they desire, and that pay sufficiently to meet their needs. They are also empowered to delay marriage and postpone pregnancy to a time of their choosing, which prevents common health complications associated with early childbirth and unintended pregnancies.

The United Nations has themed IDG 2018 as “With Her: A Skilled GirlForce”, highlighting the estimated 600 million adolescent girls who—due to limited resources and limited formal education—will soon enter a workforce for which they are not sufficiently prepared. Cultural practices, perspectives, and menstruation (due to limited access to feminine hygiene products) are common barriers to sustaining education for school-aged girls; without access to the appropriate resources and a national commitment to universal secondary education, female enrollment tends to drop off significantly by the start of secondary school. This trend is less prominent in their male counterparts. Without formal or vocational education, the personal agency and financial stability of women and girls wane, perpetuating gender inequalities and violence against women and girls who are often relegated to low- or non-paying positions.

Since IDG 2017, CSI has continued working to empower girls and women by providing access to resources and opportunities that eliminate barriers to achieving higher education. This year, CSI’s Girl Talk, Girl Power program launched in Baltimore City, Maryland! The program, which has served over 4,000 girls in Tanzania and Uganda from the time of its inception in 2014, provides feminine hygiene products to those without access, educates girls on preventing HIV/STIs, emphasizes the importance of higher education, and addresses a variety of “taboo” topics, all in one safe environment for girls. For more information on the Girl Talk, Girl Power Baltimore program, check out CSI's QII Newsletter. 

Keeping the momentum high for women and girls, in January 2018, CSI had the distinct honor of launching the Youth Entrepreneurship Scholarship (YES) program. The YES program currently sponsors the vocational education and mentorship of girls forced to drop out of school and gives them the opportunity to re-learn and acquire essential literacy skills, supporting UN’s IDG 2018 mission to build a “skilled girl force”. CSI's first cohort of girls graduated on October 10, 2018 celebrating IDG2018 with optimism for a great future and to pay if forward. With the upcoming 63rd UN Commission on the Status of Women in March 2019, girls who graduated from Namasuba College of Commerce will have the opportunity to share their stories, impact of CSI's program, and advocate for social protection systems to empower their sisters around the world.

In the coming months and year, through the power of collaboration, advocacy, and education, CSI looks forward to continue advancing opportunities for girls and women in underserved communities to discover the possibilities that are within reach.

​Happy International Day of the Girl Child 2018!
​
​​By Kimberly Sarvis, CSI Blog Writer
]]>