The journey where it all began…

In October 2023, two Swedish midwives and an obstetrician from BUG flew to Mekele in Ethiopia to visit Ayder Comprehensive Specialised Hospital. Directly from the airport, we went to the hospital where we received an introduction and an extensive tour. The information we received was strong and moving, clearly divided into the time before and after the war.

Before the war, the hospital was one of the leading ones in the country, with a well-functioning collaboration with smaller maternity clinics in the region. After the war, there was very limited information about what had happened at these clinics and how operations had been affected. The hospital was lacking basically everything – medicines, single-use and reusable materials, as well as hospital clothes for both patients and staff. Despite not receiving any salary, the staff continued to come to the hospital every day to help women give birth to their children.

We heard heartbreaking stories about the violence and abuses that women had been subjected to during the war. Maternal mortality, which before the war was 186 per 100,000 live births, had after the war risen dramatically to 835 per 100,000 live births.

After the visit, we decided that BUG would support Ayder Maternal Clinic in their work to improve care for pregnant women and newborns in the region.

A nice conversation with a new mother