Mama Maisha is an Asheville, NC-based non-profit making motherhood safer for the Luo tribe in the Mara region of Tanzania. Mama Maisha, or “Mother Life” in Swahili, was founded to provide effective, sustainable care in challenging, resource-limited circumstances. The number one cause of death of a mother in subsaharan Africa is post-partum bleeding. Pregnancy complication-related deaths are rare in developed countries, but in Tanzania, one mother dies every single hour.

Mama Maisha is a safe motherhood intervention project founded by two doctors, Reta Graham, MD (OBGYN), and Jeff Graham, MD (General Practitioner), in affiliation with local and regional non-governmental services. Mama Maisha works at the village level, providing essential prenatal care and delivery services, as well as education and resources to empower women to make wise decisions regarding family planning, healthy pregnancies, and a safe delivery for every child.

Women in rural Tanzania have poor access to health care services, especially maternal health care. A limited number of health facilities paired with an undeveloped road system makes it difficult for pregnant women to access quality prenatal care and delivery services. Community-based maternal and reproductive health advocates are being trained to provide support to mothers in a culture where women aren’t often comfortable making choices regarding their own health and safety.

Dr. Reta Graham has been an OBGYN doctor for 15 years and currently works at MAHEC. We spend a little time talking about the U.S. healthcare system, what a comprehensive healthcare system might look like, and reproductive health access for women. Learn how Mama Maisha is making a difference in the lives of women in Tanzania and how access to healthcare is one of the most important topics for women across the globe.

Connect: FB/I: @mamamaisha | http://mamamaisha.org