Raising Awareness About Maternal & Child Health
“I Am African & I Can” is a women’s empowerment blog highlighting stories of black women’s struggles and successes.
By Hadiatou Wann | 04/24/2020
When Ramata Barry’s childhood friend died in 2013 from childbirth complications, she was disheartened but felt obligated to do something about it. After expressing to her advisor her interest in working in a field where she could have a direct impact on women, she changed her major from Biology to Community Health Education.
Ramata was born in Quebec, and moved to Guinea when she was 2 years old. At 12 years old, she moved to Mali and lived there for 2 years before moving to the United States. She always knew that having access to healthcare is imperative.
In 2014, she traveled back to Guinea, and through her father’s connections, had an opportunity to intern at a nonprofit organization focused on women’s health. While interning there, she wanted to launch a project on PMTCT (Prevention of mother-to-child Transmission ), but didn’t get the support she needed.
In 2015, after completing her undergraduate studies, she worked for an agency in North Carolina that helped refugees gain access to healthcare. Ramata understood that some refugees would shy away from asking for help because of language barrier. To increase the chances of getting the refugees to be open to receiving healthcare education and resources, Ramata brought health fares to them. She would make announcements and reach out to the African student Association and other associations on campus to attract volunteers (mainly nursing students). Most of the refugees were from East Africa and South Asia. The volunteers who got on board were fluent in the languages the refugees spoke or at least understood them enough to translate.
While Ramata pursued her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology, she did her thesis on the project she originally wanted to work on (women’s health during pregnancy and after child birth).
In 2017, Ramata spent about 4 months in Guinea and was assigned to a clinic where women gave birth. She was shocked to find out the lack of resources and cleanliness at public hospitals in Guinea. There weren’t enough gloves, and on one occasion, the power went out and the nurse asked Ramata to hold up her phone’s flashlight so she could check the patient’s cervix. Another time, a patient came into the clinic with an unfinished abortion. The nurses vacuumed the rest of the tissues out of the patient’s uterus without anesthesia and strangers were in attendance during the entire procedure.
Ramata says that the fear of being shamed and the lack of privacy in clinics contributes to why many girls in Guinea would rather sit home with infections or don’t seek health care.
She also found out that because there’s a shortage of beds, women aren’t allowed to stay overnight after giving birth. They are only allowed to stay at the hospital 3 to 4 hours after giving birth, and are dispatched immediately to make room for someone else to deliver their baby. Women have to bring in their own wraps when they go to hospitals to give birth. One to cover herself while she’s giving birth, the second wrap is used to wrap her baby in, and she wears the third wrap on her way home. Women also have to bring in their own buckets. They urinate and poop in that same bucket, which fills the room with an unpleasant smell.
This may seem over exaggerated, but it is the reality for women in Guinea who can’t afford a private hospital. Seeing that this had become a norm for them shook Ramata to her core.
When she returned to the States, she still wanted to gain access to health data in Guinea, but couldn’t because it was nearly impossible to get in contact with health ministries. Fortunately, a friend of hers connected her to an organization in Mali that was looking for someone to join a PMTCT project. She was able to collect over 100,000 data from 9 regional hospitals in Mali, and filtered out the information she didn’t need. In doing so, she found deficiencies and provided her input on how to make improvements.
Last year, Ramata took her passion online and launched Project Guineya—a platform focused on highlighting matters pertaining to maternal and child health. She was amazed by the amount of support she received, and is enthused that her online community of women looks forward to her content. Each time.
Boubacar Barry, Ramata’s younger brother says, “What I find positive and honestly inspiring about my sister is that she is unapologetic about who she is; although she left Africa at a young age, she truly stays true to herself by clinging on so dearly to her African roots. Her work is a clear reflection of the everlasting bond she shares with our home country Guinea and the African continent as a whole.“
“Her academic path in Public Health was paved with her strong conviction to make a difference in Africa through health care. Women’s health is something that she focuses on passionately through “Project Guineya ,“ an informational page on Instagram that has for a mission to provide ample information pertaining to women’s health. The serious stuff aside, she’s cool, she is a fun sister to be around and she has an impeccable sense of style, which she definitely takes from me,” said Boubacar.
Ramata comes from a family that is passionate about health. Her mother is a nurse and father doctor and MD Microbiologist and Epidemiologist.
Whenever this fearless woman hears “no,” she fires back with a “yes.” Ramata forged ahead despite being turned down by people who didn’t take her vision seriously. She believed in herself and the value she could provide for the world. But that’s not all. Next, she plans on getting her Doctorate in Public Health, and create a care package program that would encourage women in Guinea to attend their prenatal visits.
Welcome to Ramata’s World
“A strong woman is aware of herself and knows what she’s worth. She knows when to say ‘no’ and when to leave a situation that is not healthy for her.”
“I love my profession. I’ve always been a giver. I am fueled by the love I bring to other people.”
“Success is everything that brings you joy and puts you at peace.”
“When collecting data, if you can’t read the information, the data is not valid.”
Connect with Ramata:
Facebook: Rama dalaba Barry
Instagram: @ramadalaba
Email: rbdalaba@gmail.com
Read other success stories here: www.iamafricanandican.info/blog
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