Giving Compass' Take:

• Leah Rodriguez talks with Martina Gant about the major setbacks her maternal health care organization, Child.org, has encountered as Kenya deals with the impact of COVID-19.

• Kenya shares the same struggles as myriad other nations. How can we make sure mothers receive ample support globally during the crisis? 

• Learn more about how you can support nonprofits in communities around the world.

Resources are often diverted away from maternal health care during crises, and the COVID-19 pandemic is making it increasingly difficult to provide adequate maternal care worldwide.

Although Kenya does not have many confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, the organization Child.org is starting to face obstacles as it tries to continue to support mothers through its maternal care program in the country.

Child.org’s Pregnant Women’s Groups in Meru, Kenya help equip expectant mothers in the rural area with the information and resources they need to keep themselves and their babies safe and healthy.

Martina Gant, head of programming at Child.org, shared with Global Citizen how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the organization’s ability to continue crucial initiatives with limited resources.

Global Citizen: How has the COVID-19 coronavirus impacted Child.org’s maternal health project in Meru, Kenya?

Martina Gant: The biggest impact that the COVID-19 outbreak has had is that we can't run our groups. We are not able to get the women together anymore and haven't been for a few weeks now. We don't have a full lockdown here in Kenya. The government is doing what it can to prevent the spread. [But] getting people together in groups is not a sensible activity right now.

We've also got the issue around the overall costs and impact to the organization. We are relying on income from UK festivals and festivals in Europe, and many of those are not going to go ahead. We also are heavily reliant on fundraising events. If we're not able to run those on top of all of the damage to other activities, we are set to lose between 50 and 80% of our income.

Read the full article about maternal health care in Kenya during coronavirus by Leah Rodriguez at Global Citizen.