At the height of the COVID pandemic in early 2020, Hellen Taaka, an expectant mom of two in Busia, Kenya, worried for the wellbeing of her unborn baby.
Hellen turned to the one person she knew she could always count on when it came to her health concerns: her CHW, Cleophas Odumbe.
“Cleophas encouraged me to go for my prenatal visits and to always follow the doctor’s instructions. He taught me the danger signs in pregnancy and said I should go to the hospital immediately if I experienced any of them,” she shares. “To allay my fears, he educated me on how to protect myself and my family from COVID and even gave me a mask for each clinic visit.”
In October 2020, Hellen welcomed her third child, Jordan, a healthy full-term baby boy delivered at her preferred hospital. She is grateful that despite having a high-risk pregnancy, she received an integrated package of support from her CHW that enabled her to prepare a birth plan, attend more than eight prenatal clinic visits, and prepare to take up family planning services that met her needs.
“Having a trained healthcare provider walk the bumpy pregnancy journey with me made all the difference,” says a smiling Hellen. “The best thing about the services we receive from CHWs is that they are close to us. Cleophas is very accessible, responsive and doesn’t just come when you call for help, but also keeps coming to follow up, and monitor the health of my three children.”