UZUMBA-Maramba-Pfungwe (UMP) — Every day 39-year-old Fadzai Nyawasha from Nyamara ward starts her day at 5am.

She first cleans her kitchen before setting a small tin of water on the stove to boil water to bath her two young children and prepare breakfast.

After that she sweeps the yard and makes two trips to the borehole, about 2km away, to fetch water.
By 7am after completing her numerous household chores and a quick breakfast of the previous night’s leftovers Nyawasha straps her bag on her back, gets on her bicycle and heads out for work.

Nyawasha is a volunteer village health worker and her routine includes travelling to at least three villages to check on the health of pregnant women, newborn babies and mothers who have just given birth.
“Where I find a pregnant woman I teach the family the benefits of attending antenatal classes and delivering at a health facility in the presence of a trained midwife,” she said last week.

“Where there is a child in the home I check to see if the child is growing well, check on body weight.
“I advise the family on issues of hygiene and the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to help the child grow well.

“Where I see problems I immediately recommend that the mother or child goes to a hospital for further care.”

On Thursday Nyawasha was among 300 village health workers trained under the community- and home-based care programme for mothers and newborns by government and the Community Working Group on Health (CWGH).

The programme is funded by the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef).

Caroline Mubaira, the CWGH programmes manager said the graduates were trained specifically on neonatal and maternal health issues to help reduce the high maternal and child mortality rates in the country.

“As the CWGH we value the hardwork and dedication of these volunteers who are not paid anything but still have the heart to work for the betterment of their communities,” Mubaira told guests at the ceremony held at Mutawatawa growth point.

“Some of these people have families and other responsibilities in their homes but they still find time to help others.

Mubaira said a similar programme had been launched in Chikomba district where another 300 village health workers were trained to help mobilise communities on the importance of maternal and child health.

She said the programme would be rolled out to other districts if it was successful in Chikomba and UMP.
Provincial medical director Simukai Zizhou said the district recorded at least 11 maternal deaths, seven of them occurring at homes inside a month.

“The loss of a mother due to pregnancy or childbirth is a tragedy for the family and the community as a whole,” Zizhou said.

“To all male partners, I say support your woman during pregnancy.
“A woman who is supported by her husband or partner during pregnancy and childbirth usually has a better pregnancy outcome.”

Ensuring male involvement in maternal and child health issues are some of the challenges that Nyawasha and many other village health workers meet every day.

Over the years, the CWGH — established in 1998 — has positioned itself as a voice in the health sector and built community power, organising involvement of communities in health actions within their communities and around primary healthcare.

BY BERTHA SHOKO

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