Photo: A nurse speaks to a group of women and children at a vaccination event at Gulu Independent Hospital, Uganda. Uganda’s Integrated Child Health Days offer an opportunity to reach women and children with a wide array of lifesaving services. PATH/Will Boase
Esther Alamia is a midwife and a focal point person for baby-friendly health facility initiative at Busiu HCIV, Mbale district, Eastern Uganda. She is used to delivering a lot of babies, but 2021 has brought an unprecedented volume to her health center. The recent “baby boom” in Uganda has been attributed to the COVID-19 lockdown and resulting lack of access to family planning tools and services. Young women and girls have been especially affected. She notes,