Improving Child Survival Neighbor-to-Neighbor
Word spread quickly that Pakiza was in trouble.
From neighbor to neighbor, over tea and across fences, the women of Siriq village shared the news that young, 19-year-old Pakiza was having trouble breastfeeding her baby. Her child, Fatima, was still under 40 days old and had not yet been officially introduced to the community. Now Fatima was feverish and sickly. Concern spread about the plight of this new mother. When word reached Nargiz Askarova, the village health educator, she did not relay the news to her neighbor. She took action.
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| Families in Azerbaijan’s remote southern villages rely on life-saving advice from trained village health educators |
Nargiz had recently completed a rigorous training course on breastfeeding through the Mercy Corps Child Survival Program. As a village health educator, she had already undergone several months of training on a range of health issues and care strategies. Now she had an opportunity to put her new knowledge to work.
Arriving at Pakiza’s home, Nargiz examined the mother’s swollen and sore breasts. In a reassuring tone, she soothed Pakiza and helped the young mother assume the best position for feeding. Nargiz stayed with Pakiza and offered gentle advice until her baby began suckling.
Within a few days, little Fatima began to resemble the healthy baby she was meant to be. Nargiz is proud of the role she plays helping Pakiza and other mothers in her village. When first approached by staff from the Child Survival Program, she jumped at the chance to learn and work more closely with children and their mothers.
Begun in 2001, the Child Survival Program is a USAID-sponsored initiative targeting families in isolated villages of southern Azerbaijan. Volunteers like Nargiz provide critical health information and preventative services to communities far removed from standard health care facilities. Indeed, the lessons Nargiz is sharing are strengthening the health of her village: from neighbor to neighbor.
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