The dangers of childbirth become amplified when mothers live in remote and poverty-stricken areas. In the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, far from any clinics or hospitals, a young mother struggles with the fear of complications during the birth of her daughter. This film examines how skilled birth attendants can dramatically improve the survival odds for both the mother and child.
by various stakeholders.
Nepal has reduced Maternal Mortality Ratio from 415 deaths in 2000 to 229 deaths in 2010 per 100,000 live births.
MDG Goal-5 has set a target of 'reducing MMR by thre…
...gap in child mortality fell, from 171 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 107 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011. Countries that had some of the world’s highest child mortality rates …
...that violates basic human rights and human security. Apart from the individual suffering, it carries high a cost for society and is a major obstacle to development. Every year million of wo…
...future midwives. It’s known that women would gather herbs and attend women at childbirth. When men began practicing midwifery, they wanted to modify how women give birth. Then so on and so …
...mothers and declining rates of general health were also cited as factors contributing to the rising rate of maternal deaths. According to US public health officials, African-American women …
...before, during and after childbirth. Continued advancement, education and policy development is needed to continue to reduce the risk factors associated with maternal deaths. Maternal healt…
...country to place in the top 10. The United States ranked 30th, performing poorly in under-five mortality rates, maternal death, and political participation, compared to other highly-develop…
...common in regions like South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where up to 70 percent of females in some countries are married as minors. Worldwide, the United Nations estimates more than 60 mil…
...people in Bolivia – impoverished, rural indigenous women. Access to maternal care has been limited by inadequate infrastructure including medical facilities. More MA DU VILLAGE, Ninh Thuan …
...and babies at home, and training birth attendants and medical staff in resuscitation devices to help babies breathe are factors in this progress. Nepal has reduced mortality by 47 per cent …
...within countries." The gap in child mortality fell, from 171 deaths per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 107 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2011, according to the latest statistics. Global sta…
...growth, has high rates of newborn mortality — 11 births in every 1,000 results in the death of a baby on the day he or she is born. In many countries, the mortality gap between rich and poo…
...woman to be able to choose where she births, to have control of her experience, and to be given choices. “You need to be well informed throughout your entire childbirth experience and only …
Our unique programmes are saving the lives of mothers and babies every day. We need you to help us to equip women with their most vital survival tool: knowledge.
EngenderHealth first began working with Nepal's Ministry of Health in the 1980s. In the last two decades, family planning use has risen significantly, but there is still high unmet need for co…
Hands for Help Nepal has been deploying volunteers from various countries to respective projects and placements. Volunteer programs in Nepal include for teaching, environmental awareness, help…
Since 1993, Maiti Nepal has been helping Nepali girls and women to regain their dignity and self-respect. They are girls and women who have suffered social injustices and threats: child and wo…
In one of the world's poorest places, the day a woman gives birth is the most dangerous day of her life, and her child's life. Can one woman and her baby beat the odds?
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Western Nepal
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People scratch out a living in the Himalayan foothills, and life is hardest for women.
MAESHWORI
My name is Maeshwori. I'm 19 years old. My husband went to India to work. Here there is no food, no rice, no nothing. Around here, there's no work.
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Maeshwori is pregnant and past due.
MAESHWORI
I am very, very scared. Everyone has been asking about it, and that makes me even more scared. My first child was breech born, and I might just die this time. If I will live, I will live. If I will die, I will die.
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The nearest hospital is four hours away.
MAESHWORI
Some said take her to the hospital, some said drive her down. Everyone had opinions. But how would you get a car without money?
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She plans to deliver in the same place she gave birth before.
MAESHWORI
In November my daughter was born. I had the baby in our cow shed.
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By local custom, mother and child are quarantined as "unclean."
MAESHWORI
For 12 days after the birth, the baby and I were kept in the cow shed. On the 13th day we were allowed out. You can't take a newborn in the house; God gets angry. You're better off in the cow shed.
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Because of Maeshwori's high-risk pregnancy, an aid worker traveling with the camera crew makes a case to village elders. They consent to having a birth attendant, and she won't give birth in the cow shed.
MAESHWORI
I am going to die. Oh my mother! I am dying ...
WOMAN
Get me the gloves, quickly.
MAESHWORI
I am dying ... am dying. Please ... I can't.
WOMAN
It's a complete breech situation. Push hard!
INDUKA KARI [CARE Program Officer]
She was completely unaware of the fact that she would need medical care because her first child was breech born.
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She gives birth to another daughter, Seema.
INDUKA KARI
If she hadn't gotten proper care by a trained birth attendant, she would've died.
MAESHWORI
I'll rest for seven days, but then it's back to work. I have to pound the rice, carry water, cut grass, and chop wood. Life is tough here.
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Living Proof. Real Lives. Real Progress.
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In Nepal, 80 percent of births occur at home with no skilled birth attendant like Maeshwori had. But support from global partners is helping train Nepal's 45,000 female health volunteers, and they are dramatically improving Nepal's health outcomes.
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In Part 2. Living Proof. Real Lives. Real Progress. www.one.org/livingproof
