Baby clothes, razor blades, and water buckets: these items reveal the reality of global inequalities in maternal care. In a new campaign, WaterAid showcases what mothers bring to hospital in their maternal bags. In London, that means baby clothes; in Malawi, razor blades to cut the umbilical cord; and in Ethiopia, a bucket to collect water to help deliver the baby.
WaterAid Launches 'Time to Deliver' Campaign
WaterAid has launched the 'Time to Deliver' campaign to help expectant mothers around the world. When 28-year-old Anshiya prepared for the birth of her sixth child at a health centre in rural Ethiopia, she did not pack the usual hospital bag, but instead a bucket. Her community in Gada Tokuma Kebele, in the south of the country, suffers from chronic water shortages. She is accustomed to carrying water, but what is different this time is that – at eight months pregnant – Anshiya packs the bucket alongside baby clothes.
On International Day of the Midwife, WaterAid reveals what expectant mothers pack before going into labour. This forms part of its 'Time to Deliver' campaign, which The Independent has supported. The contrast is stark, from Japan, where 43-year-old Ayako brings water from a concert by an artist she loves for comfort, to British 34-year-old Amira who packs her mother's bracelet. 'It reminds me of her, and of home,' she said.
Stark Contrasts in Maternal Bags
In Malawi, 20-year-old Rose has brought a razor blade, thread, a basin, and a bucket – items she was instructed to bring by midwives at Nankumba health centre because the facility cannot guarantee them. The razor blade is to cut the umbilical cord, the thread is to tie it, and the bucket is in case there is no water. Globally, a woman gives birth every two seconds without access to clean water, functional toilets, or basic hygiene. That is more than 16 million women a year exposed to preventable infections during one of the most physically vulnerable moments of their lives. One in five health facilities still lacks clean water and basic hygiene, meaning midwives cannot wash their hands properly between patients or sterilise equipment.
Hindiya, a midwife at the health centre where Anshiya is due to give birth, described going without water for more than a week at a time. She said: 'Although electricity is also a challenge, the lack of water is the most serious issue. Water is essential for everything we do.' Rose, at Nankumba health centre in Malawi, said the facility now has water taps, an improvement on what came before, but soap remains scarce. She said: 'The number one thing I would like to be available here is soap, because we need to wash our hands. Washing your hands without soap is not enough.'
Challenges in Ghana and the UK
In Ghana's upper east region, 29-year-old Alahire was told by her midwife to bring six yards of cloth, disinfectant, sanitary pads, and a head covering for the baby. She plans to deliver at Namoo hospital, which she can reach in two hours by cycling. She said: 'It is a hospital which can ensure a safe delivery for me. But when I arrive there are always issues. We have to go behind the facility to urinate and I would like them to be able to provide a toilet for us. It is really not nice to have to go out into the open where people will see you to urinate. But I still think women should go to the hospital to give birth and not stay at home.'
A new survey of British mothers by WaterAid found that 95 per cent agree clean water and good hygiene are fundamental to safe healthcare. Nearly three in ten said hygienic facilities were among the most important essentials for childbirth. Amira, expecting her first child in the UK, said she had no idea that every two seconds a woman gives birth without them: 'I think that is terrifying,' she said.
WaterAid's Call to Action
WaterAid is calling on the UK government to commit investment in water, sanitation, and hygiene in healthcare facilities ahead of the UN Water Conference in December. To sign WaterAid's Time to Deliver petition, visit their website. This article has been produced as part of The Independent's Rethinking Global Aid project.
