Alice's ambition means safer deliveries

Alice Mphande is one of forty-five trained traditional birth attendants supported by Plan in Kasungu, Malawi. The training she has received has meant that she has been able to help hundreds of women give birth in a safe and sanitary environment.

Alice went to school, but dropped out during her primary education because her parents could not afford to pay school fees for her and her siblings.

At the age of 14, Alice decided to work at Nkhamenya Mission Hospital. Alice says, "I always hoped to work as a nurse, but because I failed to pursue higher education to qualify for nurse's training, I thought of joining the health workers profession as a ward attendant."

However, things did not go smoothly for Alice. Relatives and neighbours of her parents disapproved of her new job, and Alice was put under pressure to withdraw from practicing as a ward attendant and return home.

She says, "The decision was painful to me, but that did not completely wash out my ambition to work as a nurse in future. However, the only immediate act I could do which could please my people was to find a man and get married."

After her marriage, she got pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. This delivery didn't take place at the hospital, but with the help of Alice's grandmother who was a traditional birth attendant.

"I was happy that God blessed me with a gift of a baby boy because I knew he would bring more joy and love in the family, but my old ambition that one day I should work as a nurse resurfaced," says Alice.

"I started to help my grandmother and I learnt how to conduct deliveries. Then I started assisting women on my own and within few years, my services were recognised by the community and that was the beginning of my profession as a traditional birth attendant."

In 2002, Plan in collaboration with its partners in Malawi organised formal training for traditional birth attendants. Alice's name was put forward by the community for consideration by Plan. As a result, she attended a one-month initial training course at Kasungu District Hospital.

"Because of my enthusiasm and my experience in conducting deliveries, I did very well and finally qualified as a trained traditional birth attendant. I said to myself: 'This is what I have been looking for.' Of course I am not a qualified nurse as I wished I could be, but all the same I will be able to do a nurse's job at village level" said Alice, with her broad smile.

Since 2001, Alice has successfully overseen almost 700 deliveries, and very few of her clients have needed to be referred to the district hospital. She has also conducted nearly 900 ante-natal check ups.

"Thanks to support from Plan, I also have a delivery kit, stationery and a borehole which of course is used by the whole community" says Alice. With help from her husband Alice has managed to build a brick house with a thatched roof, which provides a labour ward, accommodation and sanitary facilities for her clients.