the 2h project

The financial cost of having a baby in rural or remote Cambodia can leave a family in debilitating debt. For young mum, Nay Norm, the cost of having her third child at a health centre was 33 times more expensive than the amount she paid for a TBA to deliver her first two children. 

On the 31st August Dr Lois McKellar, Academic and Lecturer of Midwifery at UniSA will present findings from the Safe Arrivals research at an International Midwifery Conference held at the University of Ulster, Ireland. The theme - ‘Safe Motherhood - Developing Partnerships with TBAs’.

For Cambodia’s traditional birth attendants, reading about the latest birth technique in a research journal might not be an option. They don’t have access to the internet or a local library, and even if they did, the majority don’t read or write. So it’s hands on training or it’s nothing at all!

2015 might not be the end of the world, but it will be a time for some serious reflection. You see, that’s the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). And sadly, of the eight MDGs,  Goal  5 – Improve Maternal Health,  has progressed the least since 2000.

In September our ‘Safe Arrivals’ team heads off to Cambodia to train another 300 midwives. It’s hard to believe, but childbirth is one of the riskier events of a woman’s life – especially in a developing nation.

The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in Australia is 8.4/100,000. That means that there are 8.4 women who die in childbirth or from pregnancy related complications for every 100,000 live births. In Cambodia the unofficial MMR is around 700/100,000. That means a pregnant woman in Cambodia has 83 more times the chance of dying than a pregnant woman in Australia.

Numbers can be quickly dismissed but it’s worth knowing that in Cambodia every three and a half hours a mother dies in childbirth or from complications relating to pregnancy.  The ‘official’ maternal death rate accounts for 18% of all deaths of Cambodian women aged 15-49 years – the reality would be much higher.

In rural and remote Cambodia, where 85% of the population live, only 28% of women have a skilled birth attendant present during delivery.  For the majority of labouring women the most common delivery assistant is a traditional birth attendant (TBA).

Disappointingly, these faithful, caring and selfless women who serve their communities in a role played out for thousands of years are often overlooked and worse still held responsible as ‘scapegoats’ for the country’s high infant and maternal deaths.

In contrast I see them as an intrinsic part in the well being of their communities; needing to be embraced and taught new skills to deliver healthy outcomes for Cambodia’s mums and babies.

Cambodia’s traditional birth attendants - not cut loose, ignored or blamed but honoured and re-skilled, that’s the heart of Safe Arrivals!

This year we aim to expand the Safe Arrivals training program. To be honest, at the moment we can’t afford it! The funds simply aren’t there. But we are convinced of the project’s worth and the need to spend additional time, energy and money in building Cambodia's traditional birth attendant’s skills and developing effective networks for midwives right across the country.

The Safe Arrivals project aims to link with what is already working, not replace it. As we like to say, ‘Tradition touches lives, training can save them’.

With the end of the financial year approaching, would you consider making a tax deductible donation? Now is a great time to give – and it’s now that we need your help! Reduce your taxable income for 2010 or allocate next year’s charitable donation today.
Through your generous gift we can reach this year’s budget of $45,000 and together we can significantly reduce the infant and maternal mortality rates and wish someone a ‘Happy Birthday’. 

It’s that time of year again. Happy Birthday to me! Can’t say I get all that excited anymore. But this year I’m reminded more than ever of the importance of a happy birth.

Be nice to your teachers. Leaving school might not be the last you see of them. Beth Grinter is living proof.

2 weeks of pain and traditional medicines and Suy Chearm’s vision wasn’t any better.

Losing a family member is devastating. Having your husband and three children die in a boating accident is beyond belief.