THE MIDWIFE SHERO

This is Esther Zinyoro, A Zimbabwean woman based in the high density suburb of Mbare and a ‘doula’ that has gone viral. Esther has been responsible for bringing over 100 babies into the world in just about a week with her midwife skills. Esther became popular when she was featured on the local news in Zimbabwe and then later on social media, with people having mixed feelings about her methods and her lack of safety equipment. But she could not turn her back on these women who needed help since many medical facilities in Zimbabwe have closed due to nurses and doctors being on strike. Although Esther has always helped women at her church to give birth every now and then, the craze all started with one woman who was referred to her after finding the hospital she had registered to give birth in, was closed. She was already in labor and gave birth in Ms. Esther’s humble home, which has become the place many women in labor flocked to as the rumor began to spread. She even gained the attention of Zimbabwe’s First Lady who thanked her and rewarded her for the work she was doing. But some people were not happy, ridiculing the First Lady for promoting unsafe birthing instead of “encouraging her husband to fix the health sector of the country”. Yep, someone actually said that in the comments on Facebook.

Now I don’t know if pillow talk can be as effective as getting your husband who is President to change things, but I do know this; Esther Zinyoro is a SHERO. She is contributing positively to the community and saving lives – not just the babies but the mothers too. What she needs is our help by donating the safety equipment she needs to do her job better and safer.

So the main question that came to me after reading about Esther was how can communities in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole work together to assist not only pregnant women but sick people who need immediate attention? Currently the health sector is suffering in Zimbabwe so it is an all-hands-on-deck kind of situation. In every community we need to have men and women who are trained in midwifery and First Aid.

Midwifery Training involves training women in communities all over the country. According to The African Medical Research Foundation, “the key role of women and mothers makes for a healthy Africa and the needs of health workers to reduce mortality rates for the mothers but also for the children.” This organization runs different healthcare programs around Africa. Midwives are flexible and can therefore work from a hospital, clinic, birthing center and even at home. Training women in the community to become midwives involves educating them on healthcare and counselling. They will learn to conduct physical exams on their patients as well as offering gynecological help to young ladies who are not pregnant by advising on family planning and prescribing contraceptives. They will also be able to provide care to the new born baby. Imagine having a midwife in every community. Now don’t get me wrong, giving birth in a hospital should be the first option for every mother but in the case of a crisis such as the one in Zimbabwe, trained midwives would make a big difference.

First Aid trainers are also a necessity in communities. First Aiders are the first responders at a scene and can give initial assistance to a victim. Their knowledge can prevent a situation from getting worse. Their knowledge is basically simple techniques and procedures that can be performed with limited equipment, until an ambulance or certified doctor arrives. So, by dealing with cuts, burns, injuries, fractures, preventing choking and even excessive bleeding, First Aiders save lives and contribute positively to their communities.

Let us all do our part in our communities. Find out where you can learn to be a midwife or a first aider and be the difference you wish to see in the world.

Sources of Images

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/no-training-no-gloves-zimbabwe-s-desperate-childbirths-1.4690292

https://examiner.org/no-training-no-gloves-zimbabwes-desperate-childbirths/

https://www.theoaklandpress.com/zimbabwe-desperate-childbirths/image_4716d8ac-09fa-11ea-b6b2-3f1dbd9b12a0.html