Happy Anniversary!
Today we celebrated the 1-year anniversary since opening the Sarobidy Maternity Center. As a staff team, we celebrated by giving each other high-fives, hootin’ and hollerin’ and conducting prenatal visits. It’s been a joy to watch this dream become a reality, to watch how God moves, to experience His provision and His grace. It’s been a gift to enter into women’s lives here, to come closer to the depths of their everyday poverty than I ever have before, to watch as they receive education– both earthly education and eternal Truth. As a team, we’ve learned a lot. As a team, we have much more to learn. There are growing pains and kinks to work out but that’s par for the course. All in all, it’s been a pretty amazing year.
I decided it was time to look back and collect some statistics so that we could look at them as a team, Rota, Emilienne, Hoby and myself. Though we don’t place an abundance of importance of stats, it’s good to step back from time to time and look at the numbers.
The numbers at a glance:
56– the number of total women enrolled in the Sarobidy Maternity Center programs (prenatal and/or postpartum)
17– women who have successfully graduated with a diploma in hand
17– teen moms enrolled
20– first time moms served
1– the number of women who miscarried while in our program
0– babies that were born prematurely
8– the number of women that withdrew early from the program (moved away or failed to return)
4– the number of women that we had to ask to leave the program because of failure to abide by the contract (i.e. deliver their baby with the staff of SMC or with our contracted hospital in the event of a c-section– it’s difficult but essential to set a precedence)
50– the number of Monday prenatal classes taught (-1 for a cyclone and -1 for “Easter Monday”… one of the largest holidays)
52– the number of Thursday postpartum/child development classes taught
3– the average number of postpartum home visits we make to each woman within the first 10 days after birth
56– the number of mother-baby units that remained intact!
Other stats:
15– the number of women who are considered grand multips— i.e. they’ve been pregnant 5 or more times. The record was 9 pregnancies
1– the number of women who almost delivered in our car enroute to the clinic. We’re thankful our car hasn’t been christened yet— and we’re praying (and seeking funding) for an ambulance!
10– the number of women who have experienced death of 1 or more living children, all but 1 was in the first year of life. Three of these women have lost more than 1 child. One woman has lost 3 children, 2 babies at 11 months and 1 child at 7 years old.
16– the number of women who have had previous miscarriages or abortions (abortion is illegal here but is performed throughout the entire pregnancy)
Educational stats:
3– the number of women who have never received any schooling
10– women who stopped school before or upon completing the equivalent of 4th grade
33– women who stopped school before or upon completing the equivalent of 8th grade
3– who stopped school at 15 years old
3– women who finished high school but didn’t receive their final High School diploma… yes, this is such a thing here
3– women who received their high school diploma
1– woman who received a college degree
Religious stats:
5– women who don’t claim any religious affiliation or practice traditional ancestral worship
31– women who are protestant (note that some women who claim Christianity or Catholicism also incorporate traditional ancestral worship)
16– who are Catholic
3– who follow Islam
1– who is part of a known cult
56– the number of women who allowed us to pray with them after each and every appointment
More still:
1– woman who was a former prostitute
1– woman who became pregnant after being forced by her employer
1– grandma who was enrolled and graduated with her grandson because mom and dad are studying in China
We are immensely grateful to each and everyone that supports the Sarobidy Maternity Center– in finances and in prayer. Thank you! For myself and the staff of SMC, it’s an honor to play a small role in how God is working in this place and in the lives of these women!
Wow, I loved reading this great re-cap with so many interesting stats. Praying for Sarobidy and Knowing that God has MANY great plans for SMC in Mahajanga and in Madagascar!
Thanks for this beautiful update on Sarobidy! Lots of Love to you and your team!!! I forwarded the Sarobidy update to my Facebook Page!