Guinea has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world at 550 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births (DHS 2018). Many maternal and newborn deaths in Guinea can be attributed to inadequate emergency obstetric and neonatal care services. MOMENTUM Safe Surgery in Family Planning and Obstetrics works with governmental partners and professional associations in Guinea’s Boké, Conakry, Kindia, and Labé regions to address some of the root causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. The project strengthens gaps in surgical teams’ capacities to provide safe surgical obstetric care and prevent and treat fistula, a maternal injury that occurs when obstructed labor leaves a hole in the birth canal, causing uncontrollable leakage of human waste. The project also provides technical support to the government to update, develop, test, validate, and implement quality improvement and social and behavioral change strategies with providers to optimize appropriate and high-quality cesarean delivery care.

Learn how MOMENTUM worked with Massiamy Conde, a Guinean woman who lived with obstetric fistula for over 20 years, to help her receive treatment, heal, and successfully reintegrate into her community.