Maternity Ward

Rwanda, 2013

In Rwanda, many women become pregnant at a young age. A lack of sexual education and family planning along with strict local traditions cause problems during home- and hospital births. According to a study by the National University of Rwanda and School of Public Health, almost half of all pregnancies in Rwanda are unintended, with 22% being ended by induced abortion (abortions performed outside the law.)  

Kanombe Military Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, has one of the country’s main maternity wards. Women come here from all over Kigali with medical issues and conditions related to their pregnancies. The local doctors and female nurses are supported by a continuous cycle of international surgeons who spend a month at Kanombe, exchanging knowledge and skills. The resident surgeons are taught the latest techniques and theories, and the American, German and French surgeons get to treat diseases that do not exist or are rare in the West.