The photo below is of one of the three young women who joined New Hope as Health Workers. The first three women in Muniguda to ride a bike. That led to somevery negative and vulgar comments. One of the other three is Sakuntala who became a close friend of Maggie Sister.
These First Aid Kits were the start of one of the major parts of reducing Infant Mortality Rates.
This is 1986-7 and the Infant Mortaity Rate was given by the Government as 245 – one of the highest death rates in India. Septicemia was a major cause – both in mothers and child. By ‘tradition there were Traditional Birth Attendants and traditionally they used the same ‘arrow’ knife to severe the umbical cord.
