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We propose to construct and fully equip a maternity ward at the Kudvumisa Clinic in Maphiveni, Eswatini. The ward will be designed for 24/7 maternal and newborn services, and will include a solar power system to ensure reliable, uninterrupted operations (especially for lighting, essential equipment, and critical care functions) during outages. The project is grounded in a community assessment showing significant distance and transport barriers to maternal care and strong demand for local, safe delivery services.
The renovation will take place in an existing building and is an extension of the existing clinic in that building.
1) What are the main objectives of the project?
-Increase access to safe facility-based deliveries by bringing maternity services closer to Maphiveni and surrounding communities.
-Provide 24/7 maternity and newborn care, including emergency readiness and timely referral/transfer when required.
-Improve quality and dignity of maternal care through a clean, properly equipped environment that supports privacy, respectful care, and consistent clinical standards.
-Ensure uninterrupted service delivery through solar power for essential operations, reducing risk from power instability.
-Strengthen community health outcomes through integrated antenatal education, birth preparedness, and postnatal support linked to the new maternity ward.
-Building Kudvumisa staff capacity through targeted clinical training, including (as appropriate to scope and approvals) basic obstetric ultrasound, surgical assisting/theatre support, emergency obstetric and newborn care skills, and ongoing mentorshipâ€"so the facility can sustain safe services over time.
2) Who will benefit from it?
-Primary beneficiaries: pregnant women, mothers, and newborns in Maphiveni and surrounding communities who currently face long travel distances, transport challenges, and delays in accessing delivery care.
-Secondary beneficiaries: families (including partners), community caregivers, and vulnerable households who will have improved access to timely maternity support and education.
-The health system locally: clinic staff and community health workers will benefit from improved infrastructure, reliable solar-backed power for essential services, and strengthened skills through training and mentorship.
-Ministry of Health / public facilities: the project supports the Ministry’s goals of decentralizing services and decongesting higher-level facilities (reducing pressure on referral hospitals by providing safe, appropriately equipped maternity services closer to communities).
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