Our stories
Life for African Mothers (LFAM) continues to make a vital difference across Africa by supplying Misoprostol to hospitals and health centers. The following stories from Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somaliland, and Sierra Leone highlight how LFAM, our pharmaceutical partners, volunteers, and YOUR generous donations are saving lives, reducing maternal and infant mortality, and transforming healthcare in these regions.
Cameroon
Over 300 women benefited from the use of Cytotec and these served to prevent bleeding in the postpartum. In 10 cases, despite the use of the initial dose of Misoprostol postpartum haemorrhage still occurred, requiring a doubling of the dose with good effects. Unfortunately, we still recorded two cases of maternal death, one from postpartum hemorrhage and the other from a complication of hypertension in pregnancy. While these sad incidences are a reality in our context, we are aware that the presence of Cytotec in our hospital has obviously reduced the number of such cases tremendously.
In the study presented at the West African College of Surgeons conference, where our hospital was compared to another hospital of the same capacity, we recorded 41 maternal deaths in 16,500 deliveries, while the other hospital recorded a staggering 298 deaths for the same number of deliveries. It was cited that the routine use of Misoprostol in our hospital was one of the contributors to this.
We are forever grateful to you and will continue our work to ensure that each baby grows up knowing the mother’s smile.
Dr Frederick Morfaw MD, MSc (Edinburgh-UK), OB/GYN (FMBS Yaounde)
Bamenda Regional Hospital, Bamenda, Cameroon
June was a crucial month for us. We had a lot of work and registered a total of 357 deliveries. Of these, 9 cases had postpartum hemorrhage following delivery despite the routine use of Cytotec. In these patients, we doubled the dose of Cytotec given, in addition to other resuscitative measures, and today these babies have their mothers with them.
Unfortunately we registered 2 maternal deaths. The first was a case of sepsis following criminal abortion, who developed generalized peritonitis. This patient underwent surgery but died of infectious complications after surgery. The second was a case of spontaneous abortion who developed sudden altered consciousness with the onset of abortion. This patient was rushed to the theater, where the abortion was completed with minimal bleeding, and Cytotec was administered. Yet the altered state of consciousness continued despite the lack of clinical evidence of embolism. The patient died shortly afterwards despite receiving the best available treatments we had at hand.
The month of July was calmer. We recorded 257 deliveries and zero maternal deaths. This was quite a relief after the turmoil of the previous month. We had 6 cases of postpartum bleeding and we used Cytotec to arrest the situation. There was equally one near miss from uterine rupture during noticed immediately after delivery. A timely surgery was done and the patient underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy. Even though today this woman has no womb, we are grateful to God and to you that she and her baby are both alive.
So this has been the situation in Bamenda in the last two months. On behalf of all the pregnant women in Bamenda, I cannot thank LFAM enough for what you have done, and keep doing for us. Many homes would have been without their mothers, and many children would have been born without ever getting the chance to see their mothers' faces. LFAM through the gracious donation of Cytotec is helping ensuring that this is reduced to a minimum in Bamenda. We are aware of this and forever remain grateful.
Dr Frederick Morfaw MD, MSc (Edinburgh-UK), OB/GYN (FMBS Yaounde)
Bamenda Regional Hospital, Bamenda, Cameroon
Democratic Republic of the Congo
In August, we received many women for childbirth who came from distant villages. This phenomenon surprised us. We wanted to know why. They told us: "There is a woman from their village who came to give birth in our hospital. This woman has always done PPH after childbirth and every time she has been narrowly saved after transfusion. But this time she came to give birth to you and did not bleed because you gave her tablets she took and also she did not receive the injections we receive in our maternity. We also came because we would like to have these tablets that prevent having the bleeding."
Misoprostol is now a miracle drug for both birth attendants and midwives. The rate of haemorrhage has decreased significantly. Thank you very much for this support in reducing postpartum haemorrhages for our African mothers.
Dr Joseph Kakisingi
St Vincent’s Hospital, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Somaliland
I hope you are well and in the best of health. This is Huda from the Somaliland Nursing and Midwifery Association. I have worked with you in providing Misoprostol to the unfortunate and needy women of Somaliland. This donation was very helpful in saving the lives of countless mothers all over Somaliland.
Huda Elmi
Somaliland Nursing and Midwifery Association, Hargeisa, Somaliland
Sierra Leone
Life for African Mothers, in collaboration with its pharmaceutical partners, consistently donates, distributes, and monitors the use of Misoprostol across hospitals and health centers in Sierra Leone, significantly reducing maternal mortality and infant death rates.
The Princess Christiana Maternal Government Hospital (PCMH) is the largest maternity hospital supplied by LFAM with donated Misoprostol. Sister Fatmata Kanneh, the matron, and the hospital pharmacist confirmed that Life for African Mothers is the only NGO providing this life-saving drug, which has had a major impact in saving the lives of both mothers and babies.
In addition to PCMH, LFAM has also donated Misoprostol to other key healthcare facilities, including The Bo Government Hospital (Bo), The Makeni Government Hospital (Makeni), The Kambia Government Hospital (Kambia), The Wilberforce Community Health Center (Freetown), and The Kroo Bay Community Health Center (Freetown). For many of these facilities, LFAM is the only NGO donating this vital drug.
During a visit to PCMH, the Life for African Mothers team met with Sister Fatmata Kanneh and two mothers, Elizabeth Sesay and Aminata Jalloh, who safely delivered twins after two days of prolonged labor. Misoprostol was used to control postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), preventing their deaths. Both mothers expressed gratitude, saying that without Misoprostol, they would have lost their lives due to severe bleeding. Thanks to LFAM’s support, both mothers and their babies are now safe and healthy.
Morlai Kamara
LFAM Representative in Sierra Leone