At Awich HCIII, Alice, a 28-year-old midwife, is a beacon of hope in the maternity ward. With her amazing energy, she moves swiftly between patients, providing care with precision and compassion. On this particular Thursday afternoon, the maternity unit is full to capacity and Alice attends to expectant mothers, new-borns and emergencies with a smile.  

Alice’s story is extraordinary—not just because of the lives she saves every day, but because of what she overcame during a flash flood and the impact of hosting refugees in Palabek Settlement, Lamwo District, due to the ongoing conflict and displacement in their home country. 

A dedicated midwife supported under the DELISiE project through funding from the Government of Japan, Alice is no ordinary health worker. Her passion and resilience are evident through every aspect of her work at Awich HCIII in Lamwo District, where she serves a catchment population of 19,550, including refugees. Her commitment to provide the best maternal and child health care is a hope and life changing to her clients, even in the face of unimaginable challenges.

One of Alice’s experiences began with an emergency call requesting her to respond to an emergency situation in the community. A mother of six who was at home in the refugee settlement had gone into labour with twins. An ambulance was dispatched and Alice was the midwife on board, only to encounter a flash flood that had submerged a vital section of the road. 

The mother and her caregivers were found already moving to the health facility, but were stranded on one side of the flooded stream, while Alice and the ambulance carrying crucial medical supplies, were on the other side. By this time, the mother had already delivered the first twin, while the second one came amidst the heavy downpour, on the road. Thinking quickly and worried about the baby’s condition, Alice picked a plastic sheet from a UNFPA-provided dignity kit, wrapped it around a stone and tossed it across the stream to protect the new-born from the rain.

When the floodwaters finally subsided, Alice and the ambulance crossed the stream, rushing the mother and her babies to Awich HCIII located in Palabek refugee settlement. By then, unfortunately the baby who came first had passed on, while the second one was still alive. The mother already had a retained placenta and postpartum haemorrhage. 

Alice fought to save the mother’s life, performing manual vacuum aspiration and managing the haemorrhage, but more huddles were yet to come. In the process, the mother collapsed. Alice began resuscitation immediately. Her swift actions stabilized the mother, who was then referred to Padibe HC IV in Alice’s company.

The timely and dedicated effort from the referring health (Awich HCIII) were critical in saving the mother and her surviving baby. Many weeks after recovery, the mother, baby and her husband visited Alice to express their gratitude. 

The experience left a lasting impact on this family. Having witnessed the near tragedy, the husband, who had previously denied his wife access to modern contraception, returned to the facility with his wife and requested an intrauterine device. This powerful shift in attitude underscores the importance of male involvement in improving women’s access to quality sexual and reproductive health services.

Alice’s story puts into perspective the impact pregnancy-related three delays have in accelerating complications and risks to mortality for mothers and their babies. Impassable roads during emergencies exacerbate maternal health risks.

Through the UNFPA-Japan DELISiE project, seven midwives, including Alice, were deployed to Lamwo District to improve emergency obstetric care for both refugees and host communities. The project also strengthened referral systems and provided dignity kits to support underprivileged mothers. 

The midwives also benefited from the UNFPA-supported professional growth opportunities. Alice emphasized her achievements at Awich HCIII, including establishing an adolescent health clinic to provide much-needed services to adolescents and orienting the Village Health Teams (VHTs) to extend these services to the community. Her story is a testament to the urgent need for investment in making available critical healthcare cadres and infrastructure to minimize delays and improve maternal health outcomes. Her courage, ingenuity and commitment are a beacon of hope to the health facility and the community it serves.

Story compiled by: Immaculate Nalikka (UNFPA) and Rogers Musiitwa (ACORD), with contributions from Cinderella Anena (UNFPA) and Health Facility in charge, Awich HCIII