St John Uganda is running a maternal and child health programme to tackle high maternal and neonatal mortality rates.
 
One in 29 women in the country has a lifetime risk of dying from complications in pregnancy or childbirth. For every death, there are many more women who suffer illness, injury or disability. Also, out of every one thousand children born in Uganda, 43 of them will not reach their first birthday.
 
We are supporting the local government’s efforts to improve the availability of timely and essential care for pregnant women and new mothers with babies.
 
In the first two years after its launch, our Mother and Baby programme reached a total of 9,000 people with low-cost and high quality activities.
 
Our volunteers make door-to-door visits to support expectant and new parents, encourage them to use medical services early and often enough. They also help families to develop a birth plan and what to do in an emergency. Community health education sessions reach women and girls before their first or next pregnancy, and promotes wider support among community members for pregnant women and new mothers.
 
St John also supplies a basic package of support to local clinics, such as scales to weigh pregnant women and newborns, blood pressure monitors and sterilising equipment. In remote villages, where health services are not available, our volunteers work together with local health staff to provide outreach clinics. These makeshift clinics in tents or spare rooms provide HIV testing, family planning, and checks for pregnant women, new mothers and babies.