Problem

Indigenous women in South America usually give birth at home, where complications can bring death. Even in villages with modern clinics, women choose home delivery, because doctors and nurses — often from faraway urban areas — are often disrespectful of traditional practices.

The Gift

This gift will train one health care worker to understand local cultures and provide better, more sensitive care — so that more women will use life-saving health services. An FCI project in Ecuador and Bolivia trains health providers to make the simple adjustments — allowing relatives to bring in warm drinks for women in labor (which tradition says will bring a healthy baby) or to stay in the room during delivery — that can make the birth experience a positive one for local women, leading to greater use of health facilities and fewer deaths and disabilities.