The beginnings...

The women of Penyem are thrilled, and so am I. A few weeks ago I went to visit them to talk about the Birthing House that my mom and dad are building through the sale of my mom’s beautiful photographs. Mom says she would never have begun this endeavor in February 2009 without the enthusiastic support of family, especially her brother Patrick Conlon and friends, including Matthew Claydon, a professional photographer who advised her on every aspect of this venture.

Many associates of my parents have supported the birth of this Birthing House. St. Mary’s Home where my mom teaches was established to serve pregnant and parenting youth, so her colleagues there deeply appreciate the significance of this project and have been very generous. School board colleagues have purchased photographs for themselves, or for their school/department and then encouraged others to do the same. All Saints High School (my dad’s last principalship before retiring) contributed a sizeable amount through an annual fundraiser. As well, many people have made personal donations to the project. There are hundreds of handprints on the Birthing House.

I first met the women of Penyem over a year ago and they shared their dream of building a Birthing House in their village. It’s important in their Jola culture for women to gather together for a birth. But right now, mothers give birth in their family home or in a neighbouring compound if their home is too small. Conditions are often less than sterile, and they lack both the space and the privacy for all of the women to gather together comfortably to support the birth.

After cooking ‘mbahal’ (rice, smoked fish and peanuts) with my good friend and colleague Ebrima’s sister, I met with Nima. I adore this woman. She is my main contact and translator with the women of Penyem, and she is an absolute powerhouse.

Nima's father blocked her from attending school when she was a girl. Why would he send his children away to school? That would mean less time working in the fields, growing food for the family. “People didn’t understand the power of education at that time”, explained Nima.

So she started running away… to school. Every morning eight-year-old Nima got up and left for school before her father was awake, and eventually he quit fighting with his stubborn girl child. Then she finished junior school at the very top of her class, was sponsored for secondary school, and hasn’t looked back.

Nima has spent much of the last ten years working to support women’s associations in 24 villages in the Gambia. “Start with whatever you have,” she tells the women, “and share it among yourselves. Women have a stronger voice when they join together.” She has a special bond with the Penyem Women’s Association; she still lives in the village so it is her women’s collective.

Nima and I in her home

Nima brought me to meet with the grandmothers. It took us almost an hour to get to the compound where the women were gathering. Nima is quite popular in the village and we stopped to greet everyone we saw along the way, drifting in and out of compounds among children, chicken and goats.

The grandmothers of Penyem – the most honoured members of the Association – were gathered under the shade of a mango tree. They were shelling palm nuts, and talking excitedly about which fabric to choose for their new outfits for an upcoming village celebration. Nima acted as my translator and told the women that my mother and father had been fundraising in Canada to build a Birthing House in Penyem for more than a year, and that we now have enough funds to build it.

The women were grateful, and through Nima I told them that we too are grateful to be able to support them with their dream of creating a space for the women to gather together for births — to support women in labour and post-delivery in a space of their own.

As a group, we went to meet with the Alkalo, the village chief, to get his blessing for the project. He is a thoughtful man, and he speaks English fluently. After much conversation with the grandmothers, he turned to me and said, “This is a good project, one that will help our village. It’s important for the women to have a sterile, safe place to labour and give birth. It will also make it easier to coordinate sending women to Brikama (the nearest local health centre) if there are problems. I support this project.”

We then walked together to the proposed site for the Birthing House. It’s perfect, and the women and I were all so excited that we hugged each other as we looked around the site. I was struck by the fact that it is right next to the village’s child development centre and daycare. Although located halfway across the world, it’s not so different from St. Mary’s Home in Ottawa where my mom works. The site for the Birthing House is also right in the centre of the village. How fitting.

The grandmothers standing on the Birthing House site

This project would not be happening without Ebrima. He was my first contact with Penyem, almost five years ago when I was first in the Gambia. Ebrima is bright, and he is tirelessly devoted to the development of his village. He coordinates student volunteers from abroad every year, helps maintain local infrastructure and has even founded a medical non-governmental organization with a doctor who first visited the village twenty years ago. Luckily for the project, Ebrima is currently taking a project management course, and he’s applying what he learns to the Birthing House. We have a budget and a work plan — and he’s even done a risk assessment! He more than anyone has made all of the “on the ground” work happen… drawing up plans with the mason, ordering supplies and having them delivered to the village, managing the project budget, working with the Village Development Community. I couldn't have asked for a better project manager!

So, it’s finally happening! House plans are being drawn up and we hope to have it built before the rainy season begins at the end of June. Ebrima is working with the local mason on a floor plan, and on quotations for all of the building materials. Four rooms are planned — for labour, post-delivery rest and visiting, procedures with the mid-wife if required, and a small office to manage the House. The village is donating labour for the construction, digging the foundation and making bricks for the mason to lay. And we are planning a kick-off celebration day when the building begins, a chance for villagers to gather together, to eat and to celebrate what is coming to life for the women of Penyem.

Four rooms in a dedicated Birthing House at the centre of the village; basic midwifery and sterilization supplies; a space of their own for women who can come together and support each other through childbirth. A dream is coming to life.