Rina Helps to Rescue Lives of Pregnant Mother in the Rural Areas of Bangladesh

Traditional Birth Attendants (TBA) also known as Community Midwife provide the majority of primary maternity care in Bangladesh and may function within specific communities in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Generally, the community midwife advises on prenatal care, assists during delivery, and gives postnatal care.

Poor care during pregnancy, delivery, and after birth enhances the risk of child death and maternal death, and the reasons for severe diseases and disabilities among the mothers. ADRA in Bangladesh is empowering the women in the rural areas of Bangladesh by providing a wide range of skill development training¬— TBA is one of them.

Rina Mondol is a poor housewife who lives in the North Kominobashia village under the Tildanaga Union of Dacope, Khulna with six members. She has cultivable lands but she can’t produce crops around the year due to the scarcity of proper irrigation systems and the high salinity of the water. Thus, she has to struggle the rest of the year to maintain her family.

In this regard, Rina was brainstorming to figure out a way so she could earn money and live with her family peacefully. Rina came to know about ADRA from its community worker back in 2018 when ADRA was implementing a bunch of socio-economic and resilience programs in that area.

“I came to know about ADRA and I visited their office in my locality. ADRA’s activities were inspiring which indulged me to explore more about it,” said Rina. “I enrolled in Mohila Unnayan Dol in 2018 and started participating in different types of sessions, meetings, workshops, and training. I received training on Traditional Birth Attendance (TBA) organized by Community Empower Project (CEP) – Dacope, Khulna of ADRA Bangladesh.”

Rina learned how to manage normal pregnancies, childbirth, and the immediate postnatal period, and identify, manage and refer to complications in women and newborns. She also advised the pregnant patient and guiding them to intake nutritional foods during the pregnancy period.

“I have managed a couple of critical cases during the COVID-19 pandemic. I received a critical patient amid the potential lockdown period when people were struggling to receive basic medication from the local health complex and hospitals. I suggested they take the patient to the hospital but they failed. With an aim to save the life of the patient and her child, I had to take risks and handle the delivery. I applied all of the knowledge and education which I acquired from the training. By the grace of Almighty, I was succeeded and I was able to save the life both of the mother and the newborn child,” Rina was describing her challenges and management skills.

Nowadays, Rina has become very popular in her locality and people trust her a lot. They seek advice and guidance from her. Rina is now earning a good sum of money and maintaining her family with ease.