A new hospital for Kenyan mothers

In an isolated part of Kenya, the Order of Malta’s Sam Mattock tells how women from the Pokot Tribe are being aided to give birth safely

(Sam Mattock)

It is a seven-and-a-half-hour drive northwest of Nairobi, much of it on bumpy dirt roads, to reach Tangulbei. It’s a small town, with a population only 4,979, in the heart of the territory of the semi-nomadic Pokot people in that area, number almost 150,000. There is a constant state of war and peace between the tribes in the region.

The Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya, Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen, heard of the plight of the mothers with birth complications in Tangulbei And together with HE Wilhelm von Trott zu Solz, the Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Kenya, this new initiative has been launched

This project shows how the work of only a few dedicated men, in this case Father Maxwell Atuguba from Ghana and Father Fred Musunji, can make a difference and really save lives.

Both, it is not hard to guess, are Religious men, and their Faith has driven donors from all over the world to help them achieve their aim. They are Spiritans, members of the Holy Ghost Fathers, whose mission is to take the Gospel to those who have never heard it before and to serve the poorest of the poor.

Often nowadays religion can be draw negative press, but in Tangulbei, I believe, is a shining example of the good it can still bring to the world and especially to those most in need.

Despite their Faith and religious convictions, this is not the 19th Century and Father Maxwell and Father Fred, are not challenging Pokot culture. Instead, they are patiently supporting pastoral projects, providing medical services and education to the children, raising awareness of child nutrition - which sometimes means simply just feeding children.

The Pokot way of life is a simple one and it has not changed that much over the centuries. The Pokot women traditionally still give birth at home and female genital mutilation is more common than not. But the combination of home births and female circumcision brings with it enormous risks. If there is even a minor complication, the nearest maternity hospital is 124km away, over rough and during the rains, often impassable roads.

As a result, infant and or mother fatality is twice the national average of Kenya. This in main is because the mother is brought to the facility as a last resort and it is often already too late because of the lack of a specialized maternity theatre.

In response, the Pokot women have now been given another choice: the Tangulbei Mission Hospital Maternity Theatre.

This is still not a fully equipped maternity facility. It has maternity nurses and clinicians but no doctor, yet the number of deliveries there is increasing annually. this year the team have successfully delivered 337 babies and looked after the mothers pre and post-natal.

Recently I joined a visit to check on the progress of the construction, along with Martin Schoemburg, the Country Coordinator for Malteser International, the Relief arm of the Order of Malta. The visiting team also went to several of the Community Outreach Stations in the outlying area, where expectant mothers and children, much needed vaccinations, medical check-ups, and babies are are delivered when necessary.

The Order of Malta Companions pulled together the donations, to build the theatre. The construction is complete now, and it needs to be equipped to be fully functional.

It is built right next to the new ladies only ward, which has been funded by the German NGONaechstenliebe Weltweit

Once fully operational it will help avoid the life threatening, 248km round trip to the nearest capable hospital in Kabernet.

With the many challenges the world presently faces, the creation of a new maternity theatre may seem only a small step. Yet The Independent’s Happy List is so important to many because it highlights those extra ordinary people amongst us who, for whatever their motive and with clearly no monetary gain, are performing minor miracles daily to help make peoples’ lives better.

In Tangulbei just such a step is being taken, led by Father Maxwell and Father Fred’s desire to make a difference one delivery at a time.

There are certainly other needy cases elsewhere, not least in Kenya, but right now something really good is happening in this small town.

The two Holy men just need to equip the maternity theatre. “If we save one life with the construction of this theatre, our efforts have been worth every tear that we have shed for the those mothers and babies we have lost in the past”. Says Father Maxwell

If you would like to help buy the equipment for the theatre and make a big difference in a remote place in Kenya, click here.