Nepal: Kavre Community Outreach Program

Anjana Tamang

17 Years Old

Anjana Tamang is just 17 years old and became pregnant 4 months ago. In rural Nepal, especially in the Tamang community, it is acceptable for young girls to elope with a partner of their choice, and the parents of the groom generally support their child’s decision. Due to a lack of education as well as the appeal of the cultural freedom granted by marriage, Nepali girls often marry very young and become pregnant without awareness of the consequences of early pregnancy.

During Anjana’s first antenatal visit to Dapcha Health Post, the gestational age of the fetus was 16 weeks. She was excited but also nervous due to the bodily changes that she was experiencing. Due to her young age, she was thoroughly counseled about her condition, safe pregnancy practices and habits, diet, selfcare, and birth preparedness. She was also vaccinated against tetanus and given iron supplements. Anjana was adequately informed about danger signs so that she could seek immediate medical help in case of an emergency. She was advised to return for regular check-ups, and the date for her next visit was confirmed.

Mangali Maya Tamang

Unexpected Pregnancy

Mangali Maya Tamang hails from a remote area of the Namo Buddha district, and it was difficult for her husband to earn enough to make ends meet. Still, Mangali hoped to send her two children to better schools to secure their bright futures. Thus, her husband decided to go abroad to earn more for their family. He was away for 7 years, and during that period, Mangali had no need to use any contraceptives. However, when her husband returned home, she became pregnant. Although the family’s financial status was still unstable, she could not consider getting rid of the fetus and continued her pregnancy. It has been 32 weeks since then, and she has been visiting the clinic regularly and following the instructions closely. She had not had antenatal check-ups during her previous pregnancies, but now she says that, when quality care is available at one’s doorstep to improve the wellbeing of both mother and child, not utilizing such services is foolish.

Srijana Tamang

25 Years Old

Srijana Tamang is 25-year-old woman who delivered both of her children at Dapcha Health Post. She said that she returned for her second delivery, preceded by a number of antenatal visits, due to the friendly and responsible staff. She delivered a girl weighing 3.2kg via spontaneous vaginal delivery, and both the mother and the baby are doing well. Srijana and her family were counseled about exclusive breastfeeding, maternal nutrition, immunization, and contraception. They were also briefed about warning signs for the mother and the baby and instructed to immediately go to health center in case of such symptoms. Srijana is grateful and elated that she could deliver a healthy baby with the support and guidance of the staff at Dapcha Health Post.

Ashma Magar

19 Years Old

Ashma Magar hails from Namo Buddha municipality ward no. 9. She just 19 years old but already has 2 children and just delivered a third at Dapcha Health Post. The fact that Ashma already has 3 children at such a young age is a major indicator that the adolescent girls and the community at large are in desperate need of information concerning the consequences of childbearing at a young age. Although this was her third pregnancy, it was the first one for which she sought antenatal care from a health center. She came for antenatal check-ups 4 times as well as for the delivery. She delivered a boy weighing 2.8kg. She was specifically counseled on long-term contraception to prevent the consequences of adolescent pregnancy. She was also advised on other topics such as breastfeeding, immunization, nutrition, continuation of iron supplements, and danger signs.

Sabina Tamang

24 Years Old

Sabina Tamang is 24 years old and has 3 children. She delivered her third one, a boy weighing 2.5kg, at Dapcha Health Post, and the baby was healthy at birth. She visited the clinic twice for antenatal visits despite continuous counseling. After this pregnancy, she had postpartum bleeding due to uterine atony, which was very well managed by the trained clinic staff. She was then counseled that consecutive pregnancies at such a young age may be a risk factor for uterine atony, and the need for contraception was emphasized. She then chose to use an intrauterine contraceptive device (IUD), which was immediately provided. She was happy to no longer have to worry about pregnancy, and she thanked the staff for their prompt response to her condition.