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When Tropical Cyclone Freddy slammed into Madagascar, Mozambique and Malawi, 32,000 pregnant women were due to give birth within the coming weeks.
The destruction of homes, health facilities and travel routes during the cyclone – which continued for weeks in February and March – made childbirth much more perilous.
Around 5,000 of the women could expect to experience complications in their final months of pregnancy or during childbirth, which, without access to skilled care, could prove fatal.
A climate crisis is an obstetric emergency.
[Pictured above] A young woman and child walk past damaged houses in the Chilobwe township of Blantyre, Malawi, after Tropical Cyclone Freddy hit. © UNFPA Malawi/Eldson Chagara
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After a two-hour ambulance journey, Mercy, 37, gave birth to healthy twin boys, also in the city of Nsanje.
Mercy had been planning to deliver at her nearest health centre in Ndamera, but the electricity supply had been cut off by the storm.
“It was exciting and a bit scary at the same time,” she says, describing how it felt to learn she was having twins. “I am so grateful that I had a safe delivery. I don’t know what could have happened if the ambulance didn’t come in time.”
[Pictured above] Mercy at the maternity ward with her twin boys. © UNFPA Malawi/Eldson Chagara
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Thanks to recent repairs of four ambulances, both Eliza and Mercy were able to make it to the hospital to deliver.
The repairs were supported by UNFPA in order to meet an increase in demand in the wake of the storm.
A staggering 87 health facilities were damaged in Malawi during the cyclone. The closure of local clinics means more emergency journeys.
[Pictured above] UNFPA supported the repair of four ambulances in southern Malawi. © UNFPA Malawi/Eldson Chagara
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In the Zambezia province of Mozambique, where many local facilities have been damaged or destroyed, UNFPA installed temporary health facilities in six tents, including maternity wards.
Here, staff members are dealing with a triple crisis for thousands of pregnant women – cyclone, flood, and a cholera outbreak, which increases the risk of stillbirth.
“Managing cholera cases in pregnancy is very difficult because you need to prevent and treat both cholera and obstetric complications,” says Dr. Marilena Urso, a UNFPA maternal health specialist. “Time is of the essence, as healthcare providers must immediately intervene while monitoring fetal well-being and preventing the spread of cholera itself.”
[Pictured above] UNFPA tents being erected in Zambezia following storm damage. © UNFPA Mozambique/Helder Xavier
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Rosana Henriques, a nurse in the city of Quelimane in Zambezia, describes the new tents as a “breath of fresh air.”
She explains that previously, there was a lack of privacy, as the storm damage had forced her team to work out of a single room in their facility. In the tent where she now works, there is a separate room for the maternity ward, giving people some space.\
[Pictured above] Rosana stands in a newly erected tent where women can give birth with the support of skilled staff. © UNFPA Mozambique/Helder Xavier
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When Cyclone Freddy arrived in Madagascar, the country was busy recovering from another devastating storm – Cyclone Cheneso – which had hit a month earlier, in January.
Sadify, 18, was eight months pregnant when the first cyclone hit.
“The rain fell for more than a week,” recalls Sadify, who received UNFPA support at a temporary site after being forced to leave home amid the crisis.
[Pictured above] Sadify received UNFPA support following Cyclone Cheneso. © UNFPA Madagascar/ Hanta Andremanisa
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UNFPA and its partners aim to provide sustained support for women and girls throughout a crisis.
We are also working toward long-term change, so that women and young people – those most affected by the climate crisis – can design solutions, and essential health services can continue to provide life-saving care.
[Pictured above] A young girl walks on waterlogged ground at a temporary camp following Cyclone Freddy in Blantyre, Malawi. © UNFPA Malawi/Eldson Chagara