Winning People’s Hearts

My first year in this village was hard, but I didn’t give up. I loved being a midwife even though it was very challenging for me to get started here.  I decided I would visit all the pregnant women and speak with them heart to heart. I also started visiting people if I knew they had a fever, cold or cough. I helped them by checking their symptoms and giving them medication if they needed it. I didn’t charge for my services. I spent my own savings for almost a year without any income because I believed that one day I would win the people’s hearts.

At the same time, I knew I had to build a good relationship with the traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in the village. I offered to help them with deliveries. Then one day a TBA was helping a woman to give birth and there was a placenta retention problem. I came to help and eventually the baby was born safely. After that, the TBAs and the people began to trust me.

Not long afterward, I helped an old woman who had very high fever. Her family didn’t know what to do for her. I went to her house and gave her medication. I stayed and took care of her overnight. She got better the next day. A few months later I found out that she had been a very respected TBA in this village. I heard from others that she recommended all women should start seeing me to check their pregnancies and overall health. She also encouraged women and their families to give birth with me, not with the TBAs.