Refugee health volunteers help strengthen primary health care in Mahama camp
Refugee health volunteers help strengthen primary health care in Mahama camp
On a sunny morning, Beatrice Mukamisha and Denise Karerwa, both Burundian refugees in Mahama camp, sit together in Denise’s backyard talking about some of the best practices for pregnant women. Beatrice has been making regular visits over the last eight months to make sure that Denise, who is expecting a baby in a few days, has a healthy pregnancy and is well-prepared for giving birth.
“I am super excited,” Beatrice says after hearing that Denise has already done all major preparations such as preparing necessities for the new baby, stocking up on household essentials, and finding someone who will take care of her other children when she goes to the health center to give birth.
Beatrice, a Burundian refugee and mother of seven, is one of the community health volunteers who support her fellow refugees in Mahama camp to get primary health care. She mainly identifies pregnant women like Denise, makes regular follow-up visits before, during and after pregnancy, and ensures that deliveries take place in health facilities.
“I love babies so much,” she says. “I feel a certain level of fulfillment when I help a woman and she gives birth to a healthy child. I feel like sometimes I am the mother of the newborn.”
Beatrice has been working as a community health volunteer in Mahama camp over the last seven years.
She was motivated to help pregnant women and their babies due to an experience she had in the past back in Burundi in 2002. While giving birth to her sixth child at home, she made a mistake as she cut the umbilical cord which caused endless bleeding in the baby, and the newborn died two days later.
“I will never forget how I lost my child due to ignorance,” she recalls. “My baby would not have died if I had gone to the nearest clinic for giving birth.”
Since then, she started encouraging pregnant women to always go to health facilities when they show any signs of labour and afterarriving at Mahama camp in 2015, she took part in a training on how to help pregnant women. Following that, Beatrice has been a key part of the community health volunteer team helping her fellow refugee women to safeguard their lives.
In Mahama refugee camp, there are 136 community health volunteers. Each village has two volunteers who take care of pregnant women, their babies and undertake treatment of some illnesses. They also raise awareness on some health-related issues such reminding people to sleep under mosquito nets, improving hygiene and nutrition, among others. Importantly, at the time of birth, Beatrice and her colleagues help pregnant women get to one of the two health centres in Mahama run by UNHCR in partnership with Alight and Save the Children.
Although Beatrice can’t recall the total number of pregnant women she has helped, just in December last year she supported 35 pregnant mothers.
Denise testifies to what extent community health volunteers like Beatrice help the local community to improve their health-related practices.
She for instance says she learned from the community health volunteers the importance of giving birth in health facilities where there are skilled health workers because she is assured of quick interventions in case of unforeseen complications.
“Once I get early signs of labour, I am ready to pick up my packed luggage and rush to the health center,” she says.
Not far from Denise’s house, another community health volunteer, Jean de Dieu Bigirimana, also a Burundian refugee, visits Faustin Arakaza, 2, and his grandmother, Sarafina Nshimirimana. The toddler got sick of malaria few weeks before and was treated by Jean de Dieu.
“Community health volunteers help us a lot,” Sarafina says, referring to Jean de Dieu. “My grandchild had fever and diarrhea and they gave us some medicines. The child is now doing well.”
Jean de Dieu focuses on diagnosis and treatment of childhood illnesses such as pneumonia and diarrhea, diagnosis and treatment of malaria for people of all ages, and malnutrition screening and referrals among children.
Jean de Dieu and Beatrice say they get training sessions, equipment and some medicines from a nearest health facility. Through their on-job experience and trainings they are able to keep helping refugees in their community through diagnosing illnesses, delivering prescriptions, medicine and keeping a record of the health of the community. The health volunteers work under close supervision of two health centers and doctors in Mahama camp.
In 2022, UNHCR Rwanda was able to continue supporting and training community health volunteers thanks to the generous support from the people of Japan. Working with implementing partners Save the Children International and Alight, refugees in Mahama camp were able to get primary health care.
Anastase Iyamuremye, a midwife at the health center managed by Save the Children International, says community health volunteers in the camp have tremendously helped in strengthening the basic health care system in the camp and making health services more accessible.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, he says, there were sometimes cases of women who gave birth at home, but now they don’t have any single such case in their recent records. For refugees like Denise they can be assured that they can give birth in safety with their needs catered for by experienced and dedicated healthcare professionals.