(Please note that some of the names in this article have been changed to protect patient identity)
When midwife Wendy from Bury, UK, arrived in Sudan with UK-Med, she recognised a health facility would be an important step for the women and babies of Tawila, Darfur. It was clear that care could not wait.
“I am seeing displaced women and children who had to flee their homes…who have travelled days to settle in Tawila, in this sprawling camp, and have to try and build a life”. – Wendy
Sudan is facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. After more than three years of conflict, millions of people have been forced from their homes, and the health system has been pushed close to collapse. The World Health Organization reports that nearly 40% of health facilities in Sudan are non-functional.
For pregnant women, this can be life-threatening. Antenatal care, skilled attendance at birth and emergency obstetric care are often time critical. UNFPA estimates that 1.1 million pregnant women in Sudan need humanitarian assistance, with many unable to access the care they need before, during and after birth.
Getting on with the job
A permanent health facility is under construction, in partnership with Relief International, and will provide an important longer-term solution for the community. But pregnancy does not wait. Babies are being born today. Medical emergencies are happening now.
Whilst the permanent facility is being built, UK-Med is working alongside Relief International to provide healthcare at a temporary clinic. The temporary facility is a bridge: a way to ensure people can access essential care now, laying the groundwork for a sustainable, longer-term service.
For Wendy, that means providing hands-on maternal and newborn healthcare, alongside supporting national colleagues with training and mentoring. More than 300 hours of training have already been delivered to Relief International’s national staff, covering infection prevention and control, maternal and reproductive health, newborn and paediatric care, and emergency and clinical care.
People, not just numbers
One of the mothers Wendy has cared for is Aisha, who brought her 26-day-old baby Aziz to the clinic for a postnatal check-up. Aziz, named after his grandfather who was killed in an airstrike, weighed just 2 kilograms when he was born.
Before the war, Aisha lived in El Fasher with her husband and their children. Their 9-year-old daughter was also killed during the attacks.
After Aisha’s home was destroyed, she walked for eight hours with her two children on donkeys, to reach care. She is now living in a displacement camp, trying to start again with very little, whilst grieving the loss of her child and father.
“Sadly, many (patients here) have lost family members and friends as a result of the war.” – Wendy
At the clinic, Wendy and the team checked Aziz’s health, supported Aisha with breastfeeding, provided mental health support, and showed her exercises to help with lower back pain. Thankfully, baby Aziz is doing well.
These are routine check-ups for Wendy to perform in the UK, but in Sudan they are lifesaving services.
Aisha, while relieved her new baby Aziz was doing well, wants people to understand the reality of being forced from home, raising children in displacement, and trying to rebuild a life after such profound loss.
Her hopes are things many of us take for granted; that her children can go to school, and that she can one day go back to work.
Taking time to listen
The temporary clinic is also reaching women like Halima, a 22-year-old mother with her newborn baby. She had been living in El Fasher with her family but, like Aisha, was forced to flee when the fighting broke out.
Separated from her family, Halima travelled many miles alone with her tiny newborn baby to reach the IDP camp. She has since been reunited with her father, but her husband is still missing. When she arrived at the camp, local health workers and community members told her about the facility, for follow-up care.
At 11 weeks old, Halima’s baby weighed just 6 kilograms, it was vital they were seen by UK-Med’s midwives, given a check-up, hygiene kit and malaria net. But one of the things Halima was most grateful for was the gentle care Wendy takes to listen to the mother’s coming in.
“The midwife from UK-Med took time to listen to me and offer breastfeeding advice and vaccinations for baby,” Halima said.
Having arrived just 14 days ago with nothing, Halima needed support for herself and her child. Most of all, she just wants an end to the fighting so she can return home, be reunited with her husband, and build a safe future for her baby in a home of their own.
“Women are not always visiting health facilities but birthing at home with traditional birth attendants and not midwives, so distribution of clean delivery kits can be critical. They don’t have access to antenatal care or postnatal care, but now health actors on the ground in Tawila have enabled pregnant women to access care.” – Wendy
For Aisha, Halima and many others, the temporary clinic means they do not have to wait. It is providing care today as work continues towards a permanent structure that can serve the community into the future.
Because people need care now.
That is why UK-Med and Relief International are in Sudan: caring for patients, supporting national health workers, and helping build the foundations for longer-term healthcare.
“I feel hugely privileged to be in Sudan and work alongside the national staff. They are enthusiastic to learn new skills to enhance their practice to benefit the people in their care.”– Wendy
