Women in Bangladesh are fifty times more likely to die in childbirth than women in the developed world. Few have access to good quality medical care. Traditional birth attendants, known as “dhais”, have almost no equipment and rely on methods that haven’t changed in generations. Yet a pioneering project in Matlab, central Bangladesh, is trying to change this. They train local educated women to conduct antenatal classes, challenge inaccurate beliefs about diet and hospitals, as well as provide trained midwives in local clinics. This hugely improves women’s chances of surviving childbirth. But only if women can be persuaded to abandon centuries of tradition and embrace modern medical practices.
Keywords: climate change, cuba, climate, megastorm, hurricane