At 16, Pooja was terrified to discover her pregnancy was unlike others

Most girls in Pooja’s village are given in marriage at a young age, so it was not unusual for her to be pregnant at 16 years old.  Many of her friends were as well. 

In her rural village in South Asia, local medical care is almost non-existent, except for a single midwife provided by Asha Partners’ medical program for the poor.  Because of the experience of our skilled midwife, it did not take long for Pooja to discover that her pregnancy was different from others.  At 8 months, her baby boy had still not turned his head down, the proper position for a safe pregnancy.

The potential for a breech birth immediately put her at great risk for pregnancy complications, issues that often take the lives of many young girls in her village.  Fortunately, Asha Partners’ midwife discovered this early and immediately scheduled her for a C-section at a professional clinic in the capital—still nearly a 10-hour journey by donkey cart, boat, and car ride over bumpy roads.

Without Asha Partners’ skilled midwife, Pooja would have likely been met with severe pregnancy complications, putting both her and the baby at high risk.  Thankfully, the C-section was carried out successfully, and Pooja and her baby are both happy and healthy today!

We tell you this story because we want to say THANK YOU. 

Asha Partners would not have the capacity to provide skilled medical care without your generosity.  Unfortunately, we still cannot reach as many as we’d like.  There is still a great need.  Women and young girls still die daily from pregnancy complications within the villages.

Our goal is to staff five more midwives in the remote regions of South Asia.  A donation of just $100 can provide a month’s salary to a trained midwife, one able to access hundreds of women in need in surrounding villages.  By partnering with us today, 100% of your donation will go directly to help women like Pooja who are in desperate need of medical care!