Feature: Child death, a concern in Kenya

Mary Anyango, a resident of Kisumu in Western Kenya, still recalls how she lost her baby two weeks ago due to prolonged labor pains and other pregnancy-related complications.

"I started feeling a sharp pain in my lower abdomen at around midnight. The pain was unbearable but I decided to wait until morning. Little did I know that my baby would die," she said on Tuesday.

Anyango recounted that she could not leave her rental shanty in Nyalenda slums in the town because of insecurity.

The mother of five, who depends on her husband for upkeep, said that he had gone to Lake Victoria for night fishing leaving her with the children. After having labor for about eight hours, Anyango gave birth in the house.

"I was so weak that I could not even carry the baby as I had bled heavily. It's only until morning that neighbors came to my rescue but the baby had already died," she said.

Anyango's plight mirrors that of many other women in the country's slums and rural areas.

Kisumu is among one of the 10 counties in Kenya with the highest maternal mortality: 495 mothers dying out of every 100,000 live births.

County Chief Health Officer Ojwang Lusi said women in the region die as a result of preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth.

"Pregnancy related deaths occur because the expectant mother comes to hospitals once complications have taken place at home," he said. "We are worried of the 15 percent deaths cause unskilled delivery measures."

In bid to stem the deaths, the EU and the Austrian Development Corporation Care have launched a three-year project on maternal and child health.

The three-year 1.23 million U.S. dollar project will help improve the health and nutritional status of mothers and children from poor areas, mainly slums, in the region.

Through this project, an estimated 43,000 women and girls, including 4,000 pregnant women, will be reached.

Hjordis Ogendo, the EU head of social affairs, said they will establish community units in slums, train 80 healthcare providers on maternal health and family planning, repair and upgrade existing health facilities.

"No mother should die while giving birth to a child and that is why we have come up with this noble project. EU has 20 projects, six of them have been launched in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kisumu," Ogendo said on Tuesday as several women, including Anyango thanked the donors. Endi