AFGHANISTAN A glimpse of hope

 Afghanistan  Maternal Health  23rd Jun 2010

By Zohra Shamszai, CARE International

Away from the city of Kabul and far from any public facilities, sits the Afghan community of Qala-e-Fatoh.  Devastated by years of conflict and war, Qala-e-Fatoh is home to some of the most vulnerable people around Kabul.  Shakria, 18, lives with her husband, her in-laws and five other family members.  But living in this overcrowded house does not bother her now that she has a healthy baby.  She is filled with joy when she talks about her baby, but still remembers the many difficulties with her previous pregnancies.  

“I lost four babies before even giving birth to them,” says Shakria, wiping tears away.  “My mother-in-law would not even allow me to talk with Uzra, the Community-Based Educator from CARE, who first showed up at our door step over a year ago,” Shakria recalls.  “But I thank god everyday for giving Uzra the will and the stubbornness that brought her back to us again and again.”

Uzra is a worker in CARE’s OMID (Opportunities for Mother and Infant Development) project. Omid means “hope” in the local language. Uzra goes door to door to visit 179 households every month to spread information about reproductive health and help Afghan women get access to maternal health care.

In the traditional culture it is not widely acceptable for families to talk to outsiders about reproductive health issues. So Urza and her colleagues often face fierce resistance like she did with Shakria’s family.  

Only a year earlier, Shakria’s sister-in-law died while giving birth and Shakria herself was not able to hold a baby in her womb for long.  Despite that, Shakria and other women in her family were not allowed to see a doctor or a health worker.  The men did not believe there was any need for external help since their ancestors had never sought the help of an outsider for their women.

Urza worked with community leaders to approach Shakria’s family.  The leaders convinced Shakria’s husband to speak with Uzra.  She was able to convince and move him.  He admitted that he did not want to lose his wife like he did his sister.   

With a referral from Uzra, Shakria was taken to a doctor.  The doctor found that Shakria was suffering from toxoplasmosis – a blood infection that is treatable with the right medicine.  Urza and her husband were advised to wait six months before attempting another pregnancy.  After six months, when Shakria became pregnant again, Uzra visited her regularly to give her antenatal care information for a healthy and successful pregnancy.  

Today, Shakria’s son is a happy and healthy baby who gets lots of attention from his family.  His father is proud to have a healthy child and they are all thankful to Uzra who has become a friend of the family. 

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