Last month while driving to a meeting, which we all do, I was listening to the ABC-another plug for the ABC-and I heard a wonderful interview. I recognised the voice, and I was listening; it was a woman I had met when I was working with midwives in that region: Vicki Chan. I thought, when it started, that Vicki would be talking about her passion for her job, her passion for working with women to ensure that they have safe, wonderful experiences for birth-and indeed she was. But she was not talking about her time working on the Sunshine Coast, where she is well known and well beloved for her professional skills. Vicki-a special woman-was talking about her experiences working in Kenya, and she led into the story by talking about how she got into this particular position. From then on, anyone listening to the interview was caught up in this amazing story. I have spoken to Vicki several times since, and her same excitement and engagement is there. She was telling me, as she told the people on the ABC that afternoon, that she was having a bit of a low time in her work and she read a newspaper article in the local Sunshine Coast Bulletin talking about someone who had visited Kenya, gone to Nairobi and was concerned about what was happening over there for women and children-and there was an opportunity to work in that area.
All of us read these articles all the time, but Vicki then planned to go to Nairobi and work in the clinic-which she has now done, and that is part of what I am talking about this evening. Vicki actually read the story and arranged that she would go, all at her own expense, because she had always wanted to go to Africa and this seemed to be the right time. All of those stars fell into alignment and it was the time for her to go there. She went to work in a town called Kawangware, which is a relatively large town, but it was a town that was very damaged in the horrible wars of 2007, where upheaval, murder and separation of families caused slums to form on the outskirts of Nairobi. This is around the capital, but it is a significant area.
She went to work with a clinic that was run by two brothers. Moffat Osoro and Fred Sirgero had started a clinic in that area because they too were concerned about women and safety and birthing in this area-and Vicki arrived. She went to Nairobi and thus began a relationship which has now truly changed lives. She was speaking to me about the inspiration being offered by these two men who have decided that they can make a difference. I think the best way of describing the passion that is behind this clinic is a beautiful quote that is on the wonderful blog site-I discovered what a blog site was in this process-that is written by Vicki to talk about her experiences. I am quoting from Moffat, who you begin to feel as though you know through the words that he shares, and I am quoting a piece where he describes a gathering of mothers and their babies returning to the clinic for ongoing health and support:
I look at the beautiful children held firmly, innocent, and smiling by their mothers and was so proud that these children have been born in a safe environment and that their birth was honored. I started challenging these women that the journey to have life has begun but the biggest hurdle lied ahead. I stressed the need for these women to love their children unconditionally, the need to utter positive words to their children whenever they are holding them, breastfeeding them, feeding them, bathing them and when preparing them for sleep. If they feel tired and the baby is crying they should not curse them but be patient and love them even more. I emphasized that all great men were raised by loving, caring women who blessed their sons and daughter and gave them hope for the future. They were told they will be great men and women who will make the world a better place to live in.
I gave an example of my own. I told these women that whenever I am holding Frank-
that is his child-
I always utter positive words full of blessings and love. I will do it either quietly, whispering or loudly. Words said goes deeper and pierce through the soul. When I was almost done most of these women were intently listening and holding their babies tightly. I ended up by telling them that the world out there is very corrupt, dangerous, and yes with their care, security and protection they will raise a loving and caring, responsible nation. I summed up by telling them not to let their babies to be raised by nannies, government or strangers but to be involved fully in their upbringing.
I want to meet Moffat because those words are so beautiful, and Vicki has talked about her experience working there and feeling valued, for the professional knowledge that she brings, but also the engagement she has with the community that feed this clinic.
The Kenyan government have made major advances in the way that they work to ensure that women have safe births. Of course, we know about the Millennium Development Goals, and we have said many times in this place that we need to remember MDG 4-which is to reduce child mortality through one target, to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015-and also MDG 5-to improve maternal health by reducing the maternal fatality rate by three-quarters and achieving universal access to reproductive health. We saw by Moffat's words that he is talking not just about the birth, but also into the future by raising healthy, loved children.
Those two Millennium Development Goals are alive in this clinic in Kawangware, Nairobi. One of the reasons they are is that Vicki Chan is actually making that happen. She, with her family and friends-mainly through the social media-has raised over $20,000 to completely change the physical aspects of the clinic. We see photos on the blog site which show what it was like, and when you see Vicki's blog you can see some of the more challenging aspects of going to work in a slum area outside Nairobi and the conditions in which women came to have their children and to learn about maternal care into the future. Through that $20,000, they have made an enormous difference. When you see the photographs, you can see outside shaded areas where women can gather safely, in a secure way and in comfort to talk and share their experiences and to be involved in training. Vicki talks about the range of specialist and very positive training that has gone on in the clinic where she has worked with local people, not just to tell them how things should be done but to engage them to think about the best ways of birthing and child support.
There is a concern in some of the areas that there has been a harshness about the way that the birthing process is done, that the traditional ways have been a little bit forgotten as we have moved into the future and that women have actually been treated quite roughly-pulled together and even slapped during the birth process. Vicki has changed this process to allow women to have ownership of the process and to have their husbands with them. It is also looking at basic ideas of hygiene and safety. One of the proudest moments was looking at running water in the clinic, something that we all know should be a given but is not always. I think that we need to work effectively with local communities so that they see the need for the change and work for it.
I am amazed by the work that Vicki does but I am not surprised because her work at home shares the vision that this clinic has in which:
We envisage a world where each woman
is nurtured, heard, and valued and has the information, resources, confidence,
and support she requires to achieve the best possible pregnancy, birth,
and mothering experience.
In such a world, her baby would be born
with a fair and equal chance at life and love.
That is not a statement just for Nairobi. That is statement for all women and I think we can work towards that. We can learn more about Vicki by having a look at her blog site, seeing how we can be involved because what they need now is an ambulance and we need to help fund that ambulance. I do not know whether by reading a newspaper article or listening to a stunning interview on the ABC I could change my life immediately, but women like Vicki Chan give me the hope that you can. People like Vicki make us think that we all can have a role to work effectively, no matter where we are, and to support this wonderful concept of freedom and security and safety for all women and all children. This is part of a future we can share.
