New Maternity Clinic in the Congo

. 1 min read

Anny Butunga Mwindulwa distributes a mosquito net to new mother Aziza Rachel outside the Irambo Clinic maternity ward in Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Photo by Philippe Kituka Lononga, UMNS.

By Philippe Kituka Lolonga
Jan. 4, 2018 | BUKAVU, Democratic Republic of Congo (UMNS)
A new maternity center will allow women to give birth without walking up to 25 kilometers, or 15 miles, to the nearest hospital.
The Irambo district is a suburb of Bukavu City with a population of about 17,000, but lacking adequate infrastructure for maternity. To give birth in acceptable conditions, women have to walk long distances. The church decided to build this maternity center to allow the women of this country to benefit from better conditions for delivery.
The inauguration of the Irambo Health Center Maternity took place on Nov. 13 — a little less than a year after the start of construction work in December 2016 — as part of a project of The United Methodist Church’s Global Health Initiative. The center will benefit those living in the area of the Kivu United Methodist Conference.