RESUMEN
Malawi is a small, landlocked country in South Eastern Africa that faces many challenges in providing health care to childbearing women. Through a partnership between the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania, School of Nursing, faculty of the Kamuzu College of Nursing in Malawi, and the Malawi Ministry of Health and Population, an ongoing collaboration has led to research and demonstration projects designed to improve the health of women and children in Malawi. To underscore the cultural context within which childbearing occurs, care of the childbearing family in Malawi is described, as is research that has documented some of the similarities and differences between childbearing in Malawi and the United States.
PIP: An ongoing partnership between the University of Pennsylvania (US) School of Nursing, Kamuzu College of Nursing in Malawi, and the Malawi Ministry of Health and Population has led to research and demonstration projects intended to improve the health of women and children in Malawi. Essential to this collaboration has been an understanding of the similarities and differences between childbearing in Malawi and the US. Malawi has a maternal mortality rate of 620/100,000 live births and a child mortality rate of 234/1000 live births, largely as a result of socioeconomic factors. This article details the cultural context of pregnancy and childbirth in Malawi. It also describes the results of a survey conducted in 15 villages in Malawi in 1996 to evaluate the efficacy of an educational program aimed at empowering women to make safe choices during the childbearing process. The survey indicated a need for information about taking iron and antimalarials during pregnancy, the importance of seeking help as soon as problems develop during pregnancy, and the role of postpartum care. A train-the-trainer program is being conducted so local women leaders can provide health education to childbearing women in their villages.
