Health Extension Workers playing a critical role to save babies lives in villages

Katata finally got her wishes!

After having two girls, she gives birth to a baby boy few weeks before Ethiopian new year, bringing joy to the family.

“I am so happy to have a boy. He is a gift from God,” she says.  And she named him Tesemaw; expressing her gratitude that her prayers are answered.

According to the Derashe culture, she stays at home relieved from any home and farm chores. Her husband’s family are expected to take care of her for six months, feeding her Hawalata (boiled corn balls cooked with moringa leaves) and Huskida (porridge like food made from barley flour and butter) so that when she leaves her extended maternity care, people in the neighborhood would say she is ‘beautiful’.

More important for Katata, other than her appearance, is the health and well-being of her son. That’s why she takes the advice of the health extension workers seriously.

Today, Azalu, and Frehiwot, the health extension workers in the village, are visiting Katata and her baby at her house.

“Is he breastfeeding well? Asks Azalu

“Yes, “answers Katata with smile

“Any unusual things you observe on your baby?”

“No. Nothing so far…”

Azalu wrapped a clock like digital device (children's automatic respiratory monitor) around the belly of Tesemaw and waits for the reading to come out. After a minute, the devise shows a green light and displayed a number, indicating that the baby’s breathing pattern is in normal range. Then she inserted a thermometer in the tiny armpits of the child to measure his temperature. Again, Tesemaw has no fever.

Azalu and Katata then continue their conversation on critical care on newborn referring lessons from a family health guidebook. Though Katata cannot read or write, she easily follows the lessons looking at the illustrations.

Two hours’ drive from Derashe, where Katata lives, in the remote village of, Lehayte, Tirunesh Khawdia also is visited by the village health extension worker Kurate Guda.

Tirunesh gives birth to a baby girl almost at similar time as Katata.

Kurete also preform similar procedures just like Azalu; check temperature, breathing pattern and any sign of infection on the baby.

In rural Ethiopia where access to specialized newborn care is not available, these seemingly simple procedures determine the survival of a child. Every year, nearly 200,000 children die before celebrating their first birthday while 110,000 die even before staying one month in their new world.

This is mainly because of main fatal childhood illnesses including; birth asphyxia, prematurity, and infection in the neonatal period, and pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and other underline causes such as malnutrition in childhood period. That’s why both Azalu and Kurate were focusing on such signs of infection like fever and abnormal breathing patterns during their home visits to check on newborn babies.

“During our home visits, we make sure that the babies are healthy. We also check how mothers are able to apply what we have thought them,” says Kurate

“The family health guidebook is full of illustrations. Mothers easily understand the visuals. They also keep a copy in their house,” adds Azalu.

Saving newborns in rural Ethiopia primarily rests on community health workers. From antenatal follow-up to referral for delivery and post-natal care, health workers play a critical role.

The postnatal period is critical for newborns. More than a third of child deaths occur during the neonatal period, and approximately three quarters of neonatal deaths occur within the first week of life.  Thanks to the generous support from the Chinese Government, UNICEF is providing capacity building and equipping Health Extension Workers with job aids. 

During the home visits, Health Extension Workers carry-out the active case detection of sick newborns, and prematurely born babies. Then, they facilitate referral to the higher-level facilities and make the decision to treat at home or health post where referral is not accepted or possible for different reason.

Thanks to the village health extension workers’ diligent follow up and care, Katata and Tirunesh’s babies are growing healthy.

“I am not educated but I make sure that he attends school to be a better person, “adds Kitata looking at her baby boy who comfortably naps in her arms.