The Space Between Worlds
December 12, 2025
Thousands of women in rural Uganda still die from preventable pregnancy-related complications. Together, we can change this.
Maternal Mortality in Busoga
Maternal mortality is one of the most heartbreaking indicators of inequality — and one of the most preventable. It refers to the number of women who die from pregnancy-related complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days after delivery.
No woman should die while giving life.
Donate now — and help protect mothers in Uganda’s most vulnerable communities.
In Busoga, the reality is sobering. The 2016/17 facility-based maternal mortality rate rose to 148 deaths per 100,000 deliveries — up from 119 the previous year — a trend that reveals just how fragile the region’s maternal health system remains.
Maternity care is extremely important. It is a human right — and a cornerstone of public health, community stability, and national development. Yet in Busoga, broken systems, lack of trained staff, poor infrastructure, and deep poverty continue to rob women of that right.
No woman should die while giving life.
Join us to change the story. Your support can help save lives by funding safer childbirth services, better-equipped facilities, and trained maternal care workers.
6 Things I Admire About People in the West
November 20, 2025
Family Planning and Unmet Needs
Family planning plays a vital role in reducing maternal mortality. The term unmet need for family planning refers to married or partnered women who wish to delay or stop childbearing but are not using contraception.
Uganda has seen a steady decline in unmet family planning needs over the past decade, especially in rural areas.
This progress must be accelerated to empower women, improve maternal health, and enhance child survival rates.
According to the Uganda Ministry of Health, the main causes of maternal deaths include:
- Obstetric haemorrhage – accounting for 39% of deaths in 2015/16
- Postpartum sepsis – 20%
- Pregnancy-related hypertension (pre-eclampsia/eclampsia) – previously 12%
- Unsafe abortion and other indirect complications
The risk to mothers highlights the urgent need for improved maternal health services, skilled birth attendants, emergency obstetric care, and access to quality health facilities.