Unique Program Advocates Healthcare for African Women, Children

Written by Stephanie Kriner, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

August 12, 2002 — A Tanzanian woman’s simple answer to the question, “What makes women happy?” reveals the importance that health plays in the lives of African mothers.

A Hemba woman collects the day's water supply.

She wrote, “When God gives us children and an ability to care for and educate them; when children are healthy and you are healthy and able to take care of your family…Then you feel most happy….”

The Red Cross recently asked this question on a survey to assess the needs and desires for improving the healthcare available to women and children in Tanzanian and Namibian villages. A majority of the women surveyed expressed concern over the health of their children and themselves.

When looking at the statistics, the results of the survey aren’t surprising. Out of every 16 women in Africa, one will die from pregnancy-related causes. Particularly troubling is that women make up 55 percent of adults infected with HIV/AIDS in Africa, and women and girls between the ages of 15 and 24 show the highest rates of increase. As a result, each year mothers who die of AIDS leave thousands of African children orphaned.

“Women and children suffer disproportionately in Africa from poor health and its social effects,” said Cynthia Ayers, an American Red Cross delegate in Tanzania. Most illnesses women suffer from in Africa are often related to pregnancy, and complications that arise during and after delivery.

“Today, the problem of HIV/AIDS makes worse the health status of African women. Yet, due to limited resources and a low economic and social status, African women find themselves deprived of the health care they need and want,” said Millicent Obaso, senior Africa desk officer for the American Red Cross.

In many African households, the men decide when a woman or child should go to the hospital or clinic. The results can be deadly. “Based on the needs assessment we did in two communities, men make the decisions that can affect women’s and children’s lives. Most men also handle the family income from which money for paying for medical care is included,” Obaso said.

Volunteers Deliver Message of Change

The Red Cross is experimenting with a way to combat this inadequate access to healthcare through a pilot program called the “Africa Women’s Initiative.”

African children and women suffer from poor access to adequate healthcare.

Through this joint effort by the American Red Cross and several African Red Cross societies, volunteers will educate communities about the hazards related to poor maternal healthcare. In addition to teaching women how they can improve their health, the volunteers will encourage families to discuss health issues openly; they will teach men the importance of allowing women to participate in family decisions about when health care is necessary.

“Health programs for women take on a new meaning today,” Ayers said. “Women must be free to do all they can to protect themselves, their partners and their children from infection.”

In addition, the volunteers are teaching the Red Cross Principles to “reinforce respect, dignity and unity among family members and the community as a whole,” Obaso said. “We also believe that in the long run that these values will lead to a reduction in conflict and harmful practices against women.”

Local Red Cross volunteers are spreading these lessons by speaking at village meetings, working with women’s groups, talking one-on-one to families and through radio ads and live performances.

Based on the successes of the AWI pilot in Tanzania and Namibia, the Red Cross could potentially expand the AWI program throughout Africa.

However, before the American Red Cross can even begin to spread its message, the organization must prepare Africa’s national societies — struggling and poor themselves — for the challenge. Lacking in both financial and volunteer resources, the Tanzania and Namibia Red Cross will look to the American Red Cross for financial support and expertise.

After an initial contribution of $2 million to launch the program, the American Red Cross will work with the two societies to raise donations. In addition, the American Red Cross is helping manage and train volunteers. “It will be especially important for the national societies to recruit women and youth volunteers to implement the program at the community level,” Obaso said.

The task of keeping an active pool of female volunteers in any community can be trying, though, she said. “It’s a mega-challenge in Africa where people are poor,” she said. “How can they volunteer when they have to fetch water, care for the children and prepare the meal?

“The good news is that women know what is important for their health and the health of their children and they do find time to volunteer,” she added.

Related articles:

• The American Red Cross in Africa
• Integrated Management of Childhood Illnesses