In our effort to turn things over to the local management in Niger, Dr. Skankey devised a schedule for Achicha and Sidi to visit the remote camps to check on the newly trained midwives.
They made their first mission in June to follow up our training of the new midwives and check on the previously trained. At the training in February, the experienced midwives taught the class with the direction of Achicha and the over site of Dr. Bob Skankey. It appeared that they understood, but without checking on them in their practice in their own communities we wouldn’t know. In June, Sidi and Achicha went to seven nomadic communities where they got the reports from each newly trained matron. 46 pregnancies, 45 deliveries and one evacuation which had a successful cesarian in the hospital in Agadez. Two babies were born dead, but no maternal mortalities.

Matrones of Tourgite and Aboye. Fatima from Aboye (right) is also a teacher and has delivered 20 babies since we left in February.

Achicha going over the program with the trainees from Foudouk. Danda (in red) was also in our embroidery co-op and our solar program. She is very dynamic.

Madame Idrissa (left) is the head of a program in Ingall which links the maternity clinic with nomadic communities. Our matrones are all working with this program. Another step toward sustainability.

Reporting system in the program of “femmes relais” at Ingal. They are the links between the medical system and the nomads.

The woman in the middle was evacuated to the hospital in Ingal by our trained matrones. Our program and the newly instituted program at Ingall encourage pregnant women whenever possible, to give birth in a clinic. We now have a state run program backing up what we have been teaching and working with our trained matrones. A BIG STEP TO SUSTAINABILITY!
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