BY SETHABILE MYENI
MBABANE – There are 510 beneficiaries of the Cash Assistance Project to Complement Maternal and Infant Health Care that is implemented by World Vision Eswatini, funded by World Vision Taiwan and TaiwanICDF.
The project started the past year, from December 2022 to December 2023 World Vision has helped pregnant women from 14 most vulnerable communities in Eswatini. They were assisted with a total of E4 378 each.
It was gathered that the Rural Health Motivators (bagcugcuteli) would visit the women and teach them the importance of antenatal care and post-natal care, as well as checking their progress. One of the beneficiaries from Ncangosini community under the Mtsambana constituency, Ayanda Shongwe thanked the organisation for helping her.
She revealed how lack of knowledge about her high blood pressure known as BP resulted to her losing her first baby at 7-months preterm birth. “Throughout my first pregnancy, I just did not care about paying extra attention to my BP, not knowing it would affect my baby,” she said.
Ayanda continued to explain how the knowledge and money she received from the project has transformed her life and that of her five month old baby Uzusiphe.
“My RHM, Lungile Mngometulu helped me realise the importance of being extra careful with my BP during my second pregnancy so I went to all of my ANC visits and still go post-natal. Lungile also warned to stop doing heavy work whilst pregnant, to mention a few.
My baby is warm, has enough clothes, never misses her immunization appointment and also, there is some for emergencies. There are not enough words to express my gratitude,” she said.
