There are stories like that of Tatiana and Pélagie that you can only believe when you witness them. This was the case for the ALIMA team in Zémio, a town located in the southern part of the Central African Republic, less than 2 km from the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
That day, Noëlla, a midwife, and her colleagues were fortunate enough to be in the right place at the right time, with a front-row seat to an extraordinary scene: the reunion of Tatiana and Pélagie.
Tatiana and Pélagie;
two women we met 7 years ago at the maternity ward of Zemio hospital, where ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action) provides assistance to women throughout their pregnancy, during childbirth and afterwards, with their babies;
two women separated by years of war;
two women reunited unexpectedly, after seven long years of silence.
Photos of Tatiana Animbougbe and Pélagie Mongou at the Zémio maternity ward. © Cora Portais / ALIMA
Tatiana, then aged 28, is a person of short stature – a metre tall – and had to be very closely monitored. The only way she could deliver her child was by caesarean section. Such services could not be provided at the health centre in her home town, Djemah. The nearest place where she could get help was the hospital in Zémio, over 130 km away from her home.
Pélagie, 3 years older, is from Zémio. She was at the hospital to give birth to her baby boy, Pierre Patrick. “At the time, there were already a lot of women going to Zémio hospital. I came to the hospital to give birth, but what I found here was an extended family and a friend” she reminisces. “Tatiana was expecting her first child. I was also pregnant. We each gave birth to a baby boy.”
“Our sons were born almost at the same time, and to us they are like twins.”
Pélagie
After giving birth, they each returned home, Pélagie to Zémio and Tatiana to Djemah, her home town. The two friends have not spoken or seen each other ever since. Pierre Patrick and Yves Jacob, now 7 years old, do not know each other. “Our sons have not seen each other again since their birth”, laments Pélagie, “that was before the war started here”.
Since 2012, the population has been suffering the consequences of years of recurrent military and political crises. The country is politically unstable, the socio-economic fabric affected over the long-term, and insecurity remains an issue especially in inland regions. In Zémio, this instability prompted residents to flee to the countryside, while others sought refuge in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“We have not seen or spoken to each other for 7 years. We have lived through the war, and yet, as fate would have it, I’m always there when Tatiana gives birth.”
Pélagie
Seven months pregnant with her second child, Tatiana once again had to travel the 130 km between Djemah and Zémio on a motorbike. Assisted by the ALIMA team, including midwife Noëlla, she underwent another caesarean section. Her companion was unable to accompany her due to work commitments. Only her sister was with her. It was against this backdrop that Tatiana received a more than unexpected visit
Her friend tells us: “Today, I simply came to accompany my sister-in-law who is due to give birth here at the hospital. I was surprised to learn that Tatiana was here and that she had given birth to her second son. So, I rushed over to see her.”
Tatiana Anibougbe holds her son, Nathan Dieu Sauvé Mbolifouguimi, born in the maternity ward of Zémio hospital, Central African Republic. February 2023.© Cora Portais / ALIMA
Moved, Tatiana says softly: “I’m surprised and above all happy to see my friend again after all these years. It’s as if we had agreed to meet here. Pélagie is present once again for the birth of my child. .”
“My unexpected reunion with my friend inspires a feeling of love, for her and for life”
Pélagie
“I’ve already told Pierre Patrick the story of how I met Tatiana”, Pélagie says smiling.“He knows he has a mother and a brother the same age in Djemah. Without ever having met them, he already knows them from the stories I tell him.”
knows them from the stories I tell him.”
The two young women are no longer willing to be taken by surprise again, either as a result of war or by chance. Even though, as luck would have it…
“Our sons will meet one day” says Pélagie looking at her friend.
ALIMA has been working in the Central African Republic since 2013 and focuses on delivering primary and secondary healthcare services to pregnant and breastfeeding women as well as to children. Its teams also carry out consultations and diagnoses with a view to providing medical and nutritional care. In the Central African Republic, maternal and infant mortality rates are the fifth highest in the world, with 829 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births and 103 infant deaths for every 1,000 children under the age of five.* Despite the challenging security environment, ALIMA teams provide care for pregnant women on a daily basis at the maternity ward of Zémio hospital. In Zémio, ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action) renovated the hospital and provides free healthcare to patients, particularly the most vulnerable groups such as pregnant and breast-feeding women at the maternity ward, children at the paediatric ward, as well as victims of sexual violence and life-threatening emergencies. ALIMA teams on the ground also train healthcare professionals and work in close collaboration with the Regional Health Authority. The objective of this project is to reduce mortality and morbidity by strengthening the capacities of the Haut-Mbomou health district, through improved delivery of and increased access to health services for the benefit of the populations. Central African Republic, February 2023. This project received financial support from the Bêkou Fund.
Photos: Cora Portais / ALIMA
