Advancing Maternal Health with WASH Facilities

Twenty-one-year-old Alinafe is 9-months pregnant and admitted at Kapenga Health Centre in Mchinji district, Malawi.

Three years ago she was at the same hospital to deliver her first born child, Sherrif.

What is different about this time, is that World Vision has built at the hospital, toilets and bathrooms, as well as new mechanised tap water system.

The young mother is not worried about water, sanitation and hygiene while waiting to welcome her second baby.

“The last time I was here there was no piped water, clean toilets and bathrooms, so it was hard for us and our guardians to maintain safe hygiene practices,” recalls Alinafe.

“The risk of Cholera and other hygiene related diseases was very high so I am grateful that we now have safe dignified toilets and bathrooms,” she says.

Maternity In-charge for the health centre, Charles Tembo, concurs with Alinafe that the hospital was in dire need of safe water, toilets and bathrooms.

“The admitted patients were using neighbours’ toilets and bathrooms so this encouraged open defecation as some were too shy to ask for permission to use the toilets,” says Tembo.

He adds that when World Vision built toilets and bathrooms as well as the mechanised tap water system at the hospital, it lessened the burden on the patients and guardians.

“We deliver about 35 babies per month but for water, we were relying on a borehole which was also serving community members, so the guardians were required to draw water for the patients to use and to be used for washing delivery packs in the maternity ward,” says Tembo.

For pregnant women like Alinafe, safe water and sanitation infrastructure have a great significance in their journey to motherhood as it helps to prevent infection of the mothers and their newly born babies if the birth attendants do not have access to clean water.

“I have first hand experience with hygiene related diseases, my first born was once hit by severe diarrhoea, I remember how much I struggled to nurse him so any development to prevent a repeat of that, I welcome it wholeheartedly,” says Alinafe.

She adds: “The water taps, new bathrooms and toilets are adequate, now we do not have to bother people living close to the hospital to use their toilets, this is dignifying,” she says.