02/10/2025
Mama Baby Success Story: Tumuheirwe from Musheija Village
Tumuheirwe, a resident of Musheija Village in Karangara Sub-county, is one of the proud beneficiaries of the Mama Baby Bwindi Voucher project at Bwindi Community Hospital (B*H). This initiative supports mothers by providing free antenatal, delivery, and postnatal services. Thus, removing the financial barriers that often prevent women from seeking timely care.
Tumuheirwe and her husband earn a living through manual labor, digging in other peopleβs gardens. Life has never been easy as the money they earn is never enough. But, things began to change when she received a Mama Baby voucher.
βThe voucher gave me courage to seek antenatal care,β she shared. βI even started going to the hospital regularly, just as the midwives advise us. During my previous pregnancy, I attended only one antenatal visit.β
With the voucher, Tumuheirwe accessed free antenatal services, including ultrasound scans, and her delivery costs were fully covered. This eased her fears and allowed her to use her earnings to buy hospital necessities like the Mama Kit, feed her family, and prepare for the babyβs arrival.
Before receiving the voucher, Tumuheirwe had not attended a single antenatal visit due to lack of transport and ultrasound scan fees. She was always anxious. She delayed seeking care until her fifth month of pregnancy to reduce costs. But thanks to the support of Community Health Workers and nurses who introduced her to the program, she found hope.
βLast time, we had to sell land to clear hospital bills,β Annet recalled. βThis time, we were not worried at all. May the living God bless all the people who helped us.β
Her story is a reality of many pregnant women whose dreams of safe motherhood are hindered by poverty. Tumuheirwe and other women can now attend all recommended antenatal visits and deliver safely at Bwindi Community Hospitalwith skilled midwives.
In the financial year 2024/2025, the Mama Baby Voucher project at B*H linked 500 mothers to essential maternal health services resulting in 1,803 antenatal visits, 466 safe deliveries , thus, contributing to a 20% rise in total hospital births.
