THE BIRTHPLACE
Our medical clinic in southern Uganda provides free birth, antenatal (prenatal), and postpartum care to mothers in the surrounding communities and villages. We offer a safe, clean clinic for labor and delivery with a staff that goes above and beyond to provide a gentle, peaceful birthing experience.
about the birthplace
Our mission is to give moms and babies in southern Uganda a safe, peaceful place to give birth.
When our founder, Rebeca, was introduced to the area, the infant/maternal mortality rate was at a staggering 64 percent.
This means that over half of infants and/or mothers in this area weren’t surviving birth.
We truly felt we could provide a way to combat this injustice. We wanted to offer a more Hopeful and Peaceful option than having to birth on the side of the road or go to a hospital.
The Ugandan medical system is known for abuses against birthing mothers, and there is little knowledge on proper maternal, paternal, and infant care. This byproduct of negligence in birth creates a disparaging outlook for infants and birthing mothers.
The infant/maternal mortality rate in the area has dropped to 1 percent.
Though we’d love this number to be 0, it gives us hope that things are shifting in favor of healthier babies and mothers.
Since The Birthplace opened in May 2019, we have assisted in over 1,400 safe deliveries and healthy babies.
Mothers arrive to The Birthplace and have a private, quiet, safe, clean place to birth with the assistance of our trained midwife and staff who lead with kindness and gentleness.
We have a midwife on site 24/7 to welcome her, guide her through birth, and care for her afterward.
Moms are able to stay for 24 hours where they are cared for by staff and nourished by local volunteers who cook meals for them.
We opened our doors on May 31, 2019 to welcome Hope, the first baby born in our clinic.
Rebecca and a teammate were the only ones at the newly-built medical clinic when the first mom arrived.
When baby Hope was born, she needed full resuscitation.
The first birth at the center had no shortage of intensity, but for us it was a symbol for the spiritual battle we’d faced in our pursuit of establishing Ray of Hope in Uganda.
She was the first of 1,400+ babies who have arrived in the safety and love of The Birthplace, and she was a beacon of hope, a seed for all that would come.
(You can read her full story here.)
Our work also includes de-stigmatizing babies who are born with deformities or other abnormalities.
The prevalent belief we see in this area is that when a baby is born with defects, it must mean the mother is sinful or did something wrong.
We are intentional about showing families and the community that these babies still deserve care and to show them that they can still have beautiful, healthy lives.
We are seeing families be less afraid and more open to loving and keeping babies who do not come out “normal”.
Elijah, a cleft baby, is a perfect example of how the community is beginning to shift from leaving these “abnormal” babies to die to accepting and learning that each baby is worthy of life.
“When we lead by example showing grace and mercy to our team members and staff, I've noticed that they're now showing grace and mercy to each other culturally. I don’t want to change their culture. I just want to see healthy babies and healthy moms.”
-Rebecca Ghent, Founder
our FACILITY
The Birthplace is part of the Hope Centre campus that serves rural southern Uganda.
This was the first structure on our property and we were limited to only having a safe place to give birth.
Since then, we have expanded our campus to include several other buildings and a total of 11 acres, and the Birthplace continues to serve exclusively mothers and babies.
We provide one of the cleanest, safest places for moms to give birth peacefully in southern rural Uganda.
Our staff is a small group of medically trained midwives and nurses who are equipped to navigate the waters of labor and birth as well as any common issues that arise during that process. Our head midwife lives on campus and at least one staff member is available 24/7, because the birth center averages 1.5 babies born per day.
Our clinic provides:
A clean, safe delivery room
Up-to-date medical supplies
Patient recovery rooms
Several other general use medical rooms
Residential area for staff living on site
Modern medical equipment - infant warmer, oxygen generator, ultrasound technology
The entire Hope Centre campus runs on solar-powered energy and a water collection & filtration system. These investments were crucial to us so that our clinic is always available for operation and can operate independently of the inconsistent water and electricity that is common for rural Uganda.
JOIN THE
RAY OF HOPE
FAMILY
Join us in our mission to spread hope and make a difference in the lives of others. Let's build a more Hopeful tomorrow, together.