From Jessica Pettit:
Greetings from Zambia! I’m writing this to the sound of early morning rainfall (it’s now rainy season) outside my window, five months after I completed my work with the Safe Motherhood team in Kitwe – a small city/town in the Copperbelt Province. Yes, you heard me right. I’m still living and working in Zambia, but let me first tell you how I got here and why I stayed…
You see, I came to join this wonderful research team after already having five years of professional experience (including one year in Southern Africa) and a graduate degree in public health. For those of you familiar to the field of global health – you know that when a worthwhile opportunity to get back “in the field” arises, often you can’t pass it up. I jumped at the chance to move back to Africa, and it was an easy decision that I’ll never regret.
Let me first get it out of the way by saying that the NASG research program is truly an amazing project. I’m not going to go into the nitty-gritty details, but take it from someone who doesn’t accept every opportunity that comes along, but truly examines the motivation and sustainability behind international health & development initiatives. So, good news – the project itself is an extremely valuable contribution to emergency obstetric care and maternal mortality research, programming, and policy (literally, with a little bit of training – lives are being saved due to a relatively low-cost and re-useable device). If you have more technical questions, I’m sure the Safe Motherhood staff would be more than happy to respond. I’m also one of those people who loves to dive into the actual research protocols (I’ll embrace this dorkiness), but the purpose of my post today will take a slightly different approach. I’m also available for questions should anyone want to hear more on my perspective.
As other posters have described, I also moved here to Zambia not quite knowing what to expect. Interested in maternal and reproductive health, I craved more hands-on experience and this position provided just that. While working in a clinical setting may have been awkward at first – navigating the various maternity wards, trying to remember all of the midwives’ names, practicing a few of the local greetings in Bemba – it’s amazing how quickly you adapt to the new sights and sounds. It’s a humbling experience to be present when a new baby is born, or while listening to mourners outside your window audibly grieving after a loved one has passed away. This is the daily experience of one working at Kitwe Central Hospital (KCH).
I’d like to instead focus this post on the relationships I developed along the way, and some of the stand-out moments of my experience in Kitwe. I’ll try to be brief as to cover as much as possible.
Kitwe Central Hospital
My first day in Lusaka (before traveling to Kitwe), within two minutes of arriving at the UTH labor ward, I witnessed a baby being born on hallway floor of the extremely busy hospital ward (baby and mother were just fine!). In a country where maternal mortal is high, you’ll quickly realize the effects that HIV, malaria, maternal mortality myths, and resource and health care worker shortages have on women’s health. Learning from these situations and observing how others respond to such crises were some of the most important aspects of my experience.
I quickly developed lasting relationships with many colleagues while working at KCH. Whether it was the hospital bus driver who allowed me to hop a ride to local clinics, the midwives who were protective over me and advised me to come to them if I had any problems, or the hospital staff who would stop by the office just to say hi after having met me “out” over the weekend. I also developed relationships outside of the hospital. My first weekend in town, I was invited by Auntie Sue (a local guest house owner) to my first kitchen party (wedding shower). Being required to dance in front of 150 Zambian women certainly broke the ice. Her niece made me a card, months later after I had already moved to Lusaka.
Kitchen Party
No matter how fleeting they may seem, these interactions leave an impact on all parties involved. Similarly, after marching around town (with a little Zambian dance/flare in my step) during the celebration of International Midwifery Day – I had nurses from all over the Copperbelt remember and greet me when our paths eventually crossed again. Giving a little bit of extra effort (supporting the midwife parade on your Saturday off) and taking the time to show your appreciation for those you work among truly does wonders in terms of the development and maintenance of both personal and professional relationships.
And, yes, Kitwe is small, but there are things to do. Sunday braais (BBQs) at “the dam,” witnessing a rare lunar eclipse, spending the weekend at a nearby game park, and attending local reggae concerts are just a memorable few.
The Dam
Lunar Eclipse
Reggae
I now work in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, about five hours by bus away from Kitwe. I travel to Kitwe frequently to visit friends. Recently, I ran into Mrs. Sovi, one of the District Health Officers, in a crowded Lusaka bus terminal. We embraced as though no time had passed. It means a lot to me that moments like these still occur.
Professionally, my work with the Safe Motherhood team was invaluable. Important questions, such as how to incentivize medical staff working on research projects expand into broader questions of interest, such as how to incentivize or compensate community health workers (CHWs) nationwide. I learned firsthand while working with midwives that there is a common misconception that women die during childbirth if they or their husbands have been unfaithful during marriage. Fortunately, I’m now working on a research project in Zambia that seeks to address some of these issues. By combating such myths and researching whether education on maternal mortality (especially to men) can increase women’s utilization of family planning services and safe childbirth practices, I have taken what I’ve learned working on the NASG project and use it on a daily basis during my current interactions with the MoH, NGOs, community health workers, and community members in Zambia to help decrease maternal mortality. I still consider myself a part of the Safe Motherhood team and feel fortunate to have met many inspirational colleagues, all working toward this common goal.
I’ll leave you on a light note with an entertaining picture of a sign at a local clinic in Lusaka, Zambia. At first glance, I easily misunderstood the content… We all have those “Oh, Zambia” days, but eight months later – I’m still here and loving the work that I do.
Clinic Sign
