Maternal and Infant Mortality in Lwala, Kenya

by Simms W. Class of 2021

For my capstone project, I researched maternal and infant health in Lwala. I first looked into broad global statistics on maternal and infant mortality and compared them to Lwalan statistics. I was shocked to learn that 75% of all maternal deaths are due to preventable complications. I then researched Lwala’s community led health model and took a deep dive into each of the four pillars: communities, community health workers, health centers, and data. I looked into the strategies of each pillar and how each one has helped with maternal health in Lwala from 2007 and upwards. I also briefly looked into HIV rates and how Lwala has improved these as HIV is the leading cause of maternal death in Kenya. Finally, I went through the specific and lasting impacts of the Lwala Community Alliance over the last 14 years and how each one relates to maternal and infant mortality. With my research, I created a presentation to share with the student body to further educate them on our partnership with Lwala and an important issue that they are working to combat.