Historic Vessel Vega delivers Midwives Kits in East Timor

With 47 successful births and a 0% post-partum infection rate in the past year, recently trained community midwife Marcelina is one of 50 isolated practitioners to receive a donated midwife kit for her rural community of Asulau in sub-district Ermera, Hatolia in Timor Leste during a visit by the Frontline Mobile Clinic and Vega volunteers. Marcelina was chosen by her community to be trained by organisation Frontline in an initiative that brings a nominated community member from rural villages to the capital Dili to receive three months of intensive midwife training.

Dr Aida, founder of Frontline explains, “If someone from outside of the community was given three years of training and positioned there, the women would not trust them and are less likely to use their services. What we do, works, because the community has chosen their representative and with only three months training, her track record speaks for itself”.

The idea of these comprehensive midwives kits was conceived in 2010 when Frontline was asked what equipment they needed to be more effective. Dr Aida requested 50 midwives kits including bandages, sutures, scissors, fetal heartbeat monitors, natal clamps, etc. From last October until May, Vega’s crew began collecting the necessary equipment. Dr Aida aims to train another 35 community midwives and with the help of Vega she hopes to equip them with one kit per midwife.

The idea of these comprehensive midwives kits was conceived in 2010 when Frontline was asked what equipment they needed to be more effective. Dr Aida requested 50 midwives kits including bandages, sutures, scissors, fetal heartbeat monitors, natal clamps, etc. From last October until May, Vega\’s crew began collecting the necessary equipment. Dr Aida aims to train another 35 community midwives and with the help of Vega she hopes to equip them with one kit per midwife.

Unfortunately those kits were still missing the Blood Pressure cuffs, stethoscopes, and thermometers, but we are determined to find more help to update and top up these packs.

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