Many of you will know of the Maternity work at Ekwendeni. It is really where the Raven Trust started, helping Liz Mantell with nurses’ training.
A few years ago, a new maternity wing was built – unfortunately the builder couldn’t read plans…… Despite phone calls and pleading from us, the rooms were built too small for safe deliveries and teaching students. (I did offer to take a sledge hammer to some walls…)
At last, with new management and a new enthusiasm to turn Ekwendeni Hospital into a centre of excellence to compliment the good work of government and other local hospitals which have grown up in the last 10 years, there is a chance to rectify the problem. Talking with the Ekwendeni staff and management it became clear that they would like to keep the delivery block with its small rooms for specialist services such as kangaroo nursery – where mums and babies are kept warm instead of using an incubator – bereaved parents’ room, quiet recovery room, dad’s visiting room (men don’t usually visit maternity units, but ideas are changing), nurses’ library, nurses’shower and changing rooms, equipment sterilisation, equipment store, disposables store and video/Skype conferencing room for training.
It will take a little while to plan. Please pray with us for the right professional advice, good builders, modern equipment, etc. so that this hospital can, once again, be a beacon of best practice and training in Malawi.
The staff are amazing and we want to encourage them in their work of helping all those mums and babies.