The project “Improving Maternal and Child Health Conditions in Mont-Ngafula and Selembao, Kinshasa, DRC,” funded in collaboration with the Ordesa Foundation in 2019, concluded on March 31st.

This project was made possible thanks to a call for financial aid for the promotion of child health and nutrition. The maternity ward and the obstetric and gynecological surgery operating room at Monkole Hospital have been renovated and equipped. The hospital handles approximately 1,000 births per year, 35% to 40% of which are by cesarean section, due to the fact that only women experiencing labor difficulties attend the hospital.

The implementation of the project, which began in January 2020, was affected by the pandemic. Although the hospital’s operations continued, it had to adapt to care for COVID patients, due to the government’s designation as one of the leading medical centers for the pandemic. This situation delayed the purchase of equipment until June and the start of rehabilitation in September.

To date, the maternity ward and the renovated operating room are operating at 100% capacity, and an average of three births are being attended to per day.