“This is my fifth pregnancy, but now I know you have to come before giving birth”
Aïssata has lived in Dori, Burkina Faso, since 2019, after leaving her village. She now lives close to the advanced health post. She already knows the stages of a pregnancy: the one she is carrying now is her fifth. But over the course of her pregnancies, she has also learned that care does not begin at delivery.
“This is my fifth pregnancy, but now I know you have to come to the health center early, before giving birth, even when you feel fine.“
Aïssata did not discover the importance of prenatal care on her own. Before this pregnancy, she had already heard community-based health workers (CBHWs) talking to families about the importance of getting checkups during pregnancy. When she found out she was pregnant, she remembered their advice, and above all, where she could go.
“Before, you could stay at home because you didn’t feel anything in particular. Now, when it’s explained to us that we need to come for checkups, we understand why.”
Mobilized by the Ministry of Health with support from the ALIMA–KEOOGO–SOS Médecins BF Alliance, CBHWs go out to meet families, talk with pregnant women, answer their questions, and refer them to available health services.
For Aïssata, this first contact made the next step easier: she now knew where to go and knew she could return for her future appointments. Distance to the health post also matters. Located close to where she lives, it makes it easier for her to get there and continue her care. The fact that care at the post is free also helps remove some of the barriers that could delay or interrupt consultations.
A morning of prenatal care at the Dori health post
That morning, Aïssata arrives at the health post with other pregnant women. Before consultations begin, the women gather in the waiting area for an awareness session on good practices with the health team. The discussion starts from very concrete situations: when to start prenatal consultations, which warning signs mean you should seek care quickly, how to prepare for giving birth, and why it is important to keep appointments even when the pregnancy seems to be going smoothly.
The women listen, but the session is also an opportunity to ask questions. A worry, a symptom, or a personal experience can be the starting point for discussion.
“They also explain what to watch for during pregnancy. When you go home, you already know what to pay attention to,” says Aïssata.
It is in this spirit of continuity that Kouita Rabiatou, a midwife with the ALIMA–KEOOGO–SOS Médecins BF Alliance, and her team work every week.
Women come from nearby… and sometimes from farther away
Kouita Rabiatou, a midwife with the ALIMA–KEOOGO–SOS Médecins BF Alliance, sees pregnant women for their prenatal consultations. Every week, between 30 and 40 women come for their checkups.
“They often travel a very long way to come for their checkups,” she explains, referring in particular to women from surrounding localities.
Aminata is one of them. She is not internally displaced, but she comes to the health post for her prenatal consultations.
“Before, for my pregnancy, I had to go farther. When I found out I could have my checkups here, I started coming. It’s closer for me, and above all, I can come back more easily.”
She then adds: “For a pregnant woman, it’s not always easy to travel many miles for every appointment. When the center is nearby and all the care and medicines are free, you can come back without much worry.”
Designed to bring services closer to people living in this area of Dori, the health post also welcomes women from surrounding localities. For Miroubo Abdel, head of the health post, this turnout is a sign that proximity meets a need that extends beyond the site’s immediate area.
Making this care pathway possible takes teams and resources
Miroubo Abdel is a nurse, a state employee, and the head of the health post. Every day, he sees how attendance is evolving and the conditions in which the teams receive patients. For him, bringing care closer is not enough. The post must also have what it needs to receive the population.
“When people know a service is nearby, they come. But when they arrive, they also need to find a health worker to receive them, along with the medicines and equipment they need. It’s this whole combination that allows the post to truly play its role. And when care is free, that removes another difficulty for families. These are factors that the Alliance helps provide; they are important for the communities, and we greatly appreciate them.”
The health post has also been rehabilitated and has received various improvements. Abdel sees the effects in his daily work.
“The rehabilitation has improved a lot of things. Conditions are better for both staff and patients. With resources that may seem modest, we manage to have a significant impact on how patients are received and on access to care.”
The ALIMA–KEOOGO–SOS Médecins BF Alliance supports the Ministry of Health through human resources support, the availability of medicines and medical and nutritional supplies, and equipment and improvements to the site. This support helps maintain health services close to the community and allows people to access the services available at the health post free of charge.
For women, the effect is tangible: not having to travel as far for a consultation and being able to return on the scheduled date. For Aïssata, this continuity already makes a difference.
Start early. Show up. Stay on track. In a pregnancy, these three steps can make all the difference. For Aïssata, as for the other women who walk through the doors of the health post every day, each of these steps brings them a little closer to the same moment: the one when they can give birth to their baby in good conditions.
These activities are co-funded by U.S. humanitarian assistance and the Sahel Regional Fund (SRF).
