No two shifts are the same in the life of a midwife at the Bethanie medical centre.

Mrs Ouedraogo, pictured, has worked at the clinic for nearly two years, after qualifying in midwifery in Ouagadougou.

The centre offers ante and post natal care to up to 100 women and children at each weekly clinic and is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year as well as a variety of other services as part of our health programme.  With a rising local population, many of whom are young people who struggle to make ends meet, things are set to keep getting busier for the team.

The midwife team offers as variety of clinics and regular check ups, as well as being on hand when those they serve go into labour.  Thanks to a generous donation from a UK funder, the staff have recently taken ‘delivery’ of new equipment, including this birthing table (pictured) but Mrs Ouedraogo says there is so much more they would like to do to improve the service they offer to the local community.

Light is one of their priorities. At present, the centre does not have access to electricity.  Mains power is sometimes unreliable and can be expensive, but the clinic has plans to install solar power for all their buildings.  In a country with 8 months of unbroken sunshine, so close to the equator, solar provides a cheap, reliable and environmentally sustainable source of light and power.

The reality of working without light can be difficult for the midwives, with Mrs Ouedraogo describing occasions when she has had to assist with a night time birth using only light from a smart phone flashlight.

If you could help to provide solar power for the Bethanie health centre, please donate here