LNP continues to make significant impact through its maternal health initiatives, particularly PAPAYA and PAPAGAIO, which focus on supporting pregnant women.
This past September, Lifeline’s team engaged pregnant women in the Aberdeen and Kuntorloh communities, many of the women expressing their gratitude to Lifeline and its partners for these life-saving interventions.
Community stakeholders also welcomed and thanked the organisation for its continued support, reflecting on the dark days of Ebola and mudslides when Lifeline and its partners provided food, psychosocial, education and non-food items to affected individuals, families and communities.
However, during these engagements some concerning trends emerged:
- some pregnant women, even at 2, 4 or 5 months gestation, had not yet registered at any clinic or hospital for Antenatal Care (ANC).
- many women had ANC, posing serious health risks to both the mothers and their unborn children.
- several women reported symptoms consistent with pre-eclampsia, a potentially life-threatening condition, causing high blood pressure (hypertension) and protein in the urine (proteinuria).
Further discussions revealed that financial constraints prevent many women from seeking timely care, including hidden charges or unofficial fees.
In response, Lifeline teams are actively working to encourage early ANC registration, raise awareness and link expectant mothers to affordable care.
These photos show a typical engagement session in progress…
