Making the Links Students on the Ground in Mozambique

This is one of the Making the Links, U of S, College of Medicine – Certificate in Global Health students – Savio Nguyen, participating in a Mozambique Canada Maternal Health Project activity of building healthy communities. It is taking place with a partner community in Como, Homoine District in their 1st community-based caregiver network development session. This meant that all the different community members who provide health assistance – traditional midwives, traditional healers, APEs (community health workers), religious leaders (who are also often sought out to help with health issues) as well as health committee members – met, together with health workers from the local health facility and project staff, to share learning about maternal and newborn health. They discussed issues related to supporting healthy pregnancies and deliveries including identifying obstetrical complications and the importance of accompanying women to maternal waiting homes and health facilities. They’re organizing to act as a coordinated community network of care to enhance women’s and girls’ health and healthy babies.

The Making the Links program, U of S has had a long relationship over the years with both the past U of S Training for Health Renewal Program and the present U of S Mozambique Canada Maternal Health Project that works on community and institutional health strengthening and maternal-child health in Inhambane Province, Mozambique. It has afforded health science students an opportunity to see, learn and participate on the ground in the community health work that is in process and what can be done.

Savio Nguyen participated in the session with all the other MTL students comprised of McKayla Cozart, Kristina Sawatzky, Ben Abelseth with co-ordinator Dr. Eddie Rooke alongside Ruta Massunguine, Community Co-ordinator, Mozambique Canada Maternal Health Project.