Daisy, six months old, is held by her mother Margarita, who gave birth to her in one of Save the Children’s maternity wards.
In the altiplano (high plateau) region of Bolivia, almost nothing grows. The men eke out a living working in the dangerous silver mines. And women carry their babies on their backs swaddled for warmth in llama wool blankets called “aguayos.”
In one impoverished community, Aguayo blankets are helping save babies lives.
Mothers have little access to maternal and newborn health in La Joya, Boliva. Mother’s House, where Daisy was born, is a maternity ward that assists mother and fathers through their journey of pregnancy. Mother’s House assures that the mother is getting the proper care she will need during and after her pregnancy as well as teaching the father how to take care of a newborn and his recovering wife. According to Chief Doctor Griselda Vilca, “This simple strategy is resulting in reduced maternal and child mortality.”
Save the Children is now working with La Joya to keep newborn babies and their mothers alive and healthy, with a focus on access to care and clinic visits.