“With us, a caesarean section costs 50 USD, a more complicated operation costs 60 USD – this is very cheap, because in other centres in the region prices vary between 150 and 200 USD. That is why even women from Goma come here to give birth. Those who cannot afford it are helped free of charge,” says Sister Agnieszka, director of the hospital in Ntamugenga in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Not having access to medical care during childbirth can often lead to the death of the baby and the mother. Women from all over the area tell us that just knowing there is a centre like ours in the province makes them feel safe.

This sense of security has many aspects. Thanks to our presence in Ntamugenga, a woman’s dignity is not entirely dependent on the size of her wallet. Secondly, the quality of assistance provided here cannot be compared with any centre in the area.

“Private quasi health centres make our work very complicated. Often run by unqualified staff, they do more harm than good. A few years ago, a woman came to us from such a ‘centre’ where attempts were made to induce labour by stomping on her stomach. As a result, the baby died, the woman had a ruptured uterus and came to us in a serious condition. It was too late. Nothing could be done. She died.”

Join us in supporting the women in Congo who, like all women around the world, dream of a childbirth that is not fraught with crippling uncertainty and fear for their own and their baby’s lives.

Young mothers in Congo, like all mothers, wish for the moment of birth to be a special one in their lives. The more affluent families prepare a layette for the woman and child while they wait for the birth. The husband buys a decorative fabric in which the woman dresses herself and the newborn baby when leaving the hospital. The return home is festive. The women of the family sing, and the grandmother carries the baby in her arms. Beautifully groomed, wearing decorative material, she returns in a procession of loved ones to her home, where a great celebration takes place. Often, however, the women who come to us cannot afford anything. It is we, meaning you, who prepare their layette for them!

Let’s do everything we can to make Mother’s Day happy, safe and joyful for Congolese mothers and their babies.