ACHWS is working in 32 communities in Montserrado and B**g County. Our current work is focused on community mobilization, sensitization on Ebola prevention and eradication. We are engaged in building community structure capacity to sustain behavior change and good practices in rural/remote communities to prevent the spread of Ebola. We work in in Todee district in Montserrado and Yaniquelleh distr
ict in B**g County targeting 18,000 people. In partnership wit other national NGOs in a consortium we have secured a grant to expand our Ebola response programs in the 32 communities we are working. Our maternal and child health project is focused on educating pregnant using a month-by-month curriculum on pregnancy and baby care. This project is called the Big Belly Business. It is a pilot project funded by the US Department of State, Secretary Office through the What to Expect Foundation. To date, we have registered 114 pregnant adolescent girls and women. We meet them monthly for sessions. This project is the first of its kind in Liberia. The pregnant women we meet are very interested to understand about how their baby is growing in their womb. The pregnant women we worked with are not literate, they do not know the various stages of pregnancy and the baby growth and development. These women have myths and beliefs about pregnancy. This project is helping pregnant adolescent girls and women learn new ideas about their pregnancy and to begin to love the baby before it is born. Many women have abandoned their babies because they hated the baby before it was born. Many others do so because the father abandoned them, others hate themselves while they are pregnant. This program is helping them learn to love themselves and the unborn child, to learn about self-worth and self-esteem and not hate the unborn child. Through the sessions the pregnant adolescent girls and women learn that the baby is not the cause of their problems and they should love them and care for them while they are pregnant and when the babies are born. We are seeking additional funding to address the critical needs of pregnant women. Many of the pregnant women are poor and cannot afford to pay for ANC services and cost associated with accessing ANC services. They are unable to pay for delivery fees at various clinics and hospitals as a result they stay in their communities and get delivered by a traditional midwife. In most cases these women die of obstetric complications. ACHW has 3 clinics providing primary health care services to the public on a cost recovery program. We are looking for funding to subsidize the cost of ANC services for pregnant women so that they give birth at health facilities to prevent maternal death. The Ebola has impacted the lives of Liberia about 7000 people are now affected. Many families lost the bread winners, parents and children, about 2000 children have been made orphans. We are seeking funding to address immediate needs of the affected population by providing sanitary kits, food, toys for young children, and non-food supplies to affected families/households.
