Giving birth is a joyous moment for mom, family, and baby alike. But it can also be a scary one. Imagine all the emotional highs and lows, fears, pain, and joy of that day – and now imagine all of it happening in the dark.
You can’t control when you’ll give birth. So in Nakivale Refugee Settlement, there are many births that happen at night, a time when electricity is unreliable and the chances of being in total darkness are likely.
Doctors and nurses make do with holding flashlights in their mouths as they work with their hands. But that simply isn’t good enough.
We’ve heard directly from the people in Nakivale that they want and need solar lamps, a solution that only relies on the power of the sun.
So we decided to start with step one, something that we could do that would help moms in Nakivale feel and be a little safer – solar lamps for the maternity ward.
We installed solar lamps at the maternity clinic, run by our partner MTI. And they were so thrilled with the addition. “It will improve the welfare of our health workers, and reduce death risks of mothers who give birth at night,” they said.
No mother should have to give birth in the dark. At this maternity ward in Nakivale, they no longer have to.
