When labour pains struck Sudanese refugee Maude Ahmad Fadala, there was no clinic nearby, no transport and no money to reach a hospital. Hours later, weakened by illness and stranded on a dirt road in northern Central African Republic, she gave birth with only her sister by her side.
The agony began shortly after sunset at the Korsi refugee camp near the Sudanese border. Fadala, who had fled Sudan's war, was suffering from typhoid when labour started.
With no functioning maternal health services in the camp and no money for transportation, she began the journey to the district hospital on foot. But the distance proved too great.
Forced to stop repeatedly as contractions intensified, she eventually collapsed by the roadside and gave birth without medical assistance.
“I didn’t know about the baby. I don't know what a nurse does to make a newborn cry,” Fadala said. “My baby and I were sick.”
