Cecilia Addah, 51, lives in the Upper East Region of Ghana. She’s the only midwife for 16,000 people, and covers three community clinics on her trusty motorbike. Across Ghana, nearly half of all women give birth without assistance from a qualified health worker like Cecilia. She works around the clock to support pregnant women, new mums and babies. Her training means she can help deliver babies safely, provide prenatal and postnatal
care, and give family planning advice. And her motorbike means she’s able to visit women at home if they can’t get to a clinic. “It’s a 24-hour service,” she says with a smile.
Most of the time, Cecilia is based at Wuru community clinic, built in 2010. She says it wouldn’t be here were it not for the government’s free health care initiative. “We should have more free services,” she says. “Mothers can come to access health care, so that they will not die.”
Despite being overworked, Cecilia loves her job. Her hope for Ghana is simple: “zero maternal mortality”. It’s a reminder that her patients are among the lucky ones.
And a reminder that the UK government needs to fulfil its commitment to spend 0.7% of national income on overseas aid. This promise is a real chance for more women to receive life-saving health care during pregnancy. Join our call here!
Visit our pop up Birth Rights exhibition, now relocated to the window of Oxfam on Argyle St for stunning images of maternal health in Ghana. It’s free to see, and it’s open all hours!!
