Prenatal care transforms grief into joy for Congolese mothers

Key points:

• The Lokole United Methodist Health Center in Kindu has successfully supported women suffering from infertility and repeated miscarriages.
• Thanks to the church’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health program, women are receiving rigorous medical and psychological care.
• Through regular prenatal consultations and close monitoring, women who had suffered multiple miscarriages have been able to carry their pregnancies to term.

For five long years for Marie Otshumba and seven years for Aimérance Yema, the dream of motherhood turned into a repeated cycle of grief and despair.

Like many women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, they went through the devastating ordeal of infertility and repeated miscarriages, accompanied by shaken faith and social status.

Beyond the physical pain, these childless years exposed the women to intense social pressure and emotional trauma, undermining their status within their own homes.

Today, thanks to rigorous monitoring at the Lokole United Methodist Health Center as part of The United Methodist Church’s Maternal, Newborn and Child Health program, their tears have turned to joy.

“Each loss was an immense pain that shook my confidence,” Otshumba confides. “I was beginning to lose hope.”

The program, supported by the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries, combines clinical care, health education and family support to ensure a continuum of care from pregnancy through the early years of a child’s life. By supporting initiatives such as the treatment of acute malnutrition and the monitoring of pregnant women through community messaging systems, the program demonstrates the church’s commitment to combining the proclamation of the Gospel with the practical promotion of the dignity and health of every mother and child.

In Congo, pregnancy-related complications remain a major public health challenge. The lack of medical monitoring, combined with undetected nutritional and physiological factors, often leads to preventable tragedies. This is where United Methodist health facilities are stepping in to make a difference.

Through the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health program, Otshumba and Yema discovered the importance of prenatal consultations, leading them to become patient partners.

The staff at Lokole United Methodist Health Center, aware of the women’s family difficulties and discouragement, took the initiative to approach them. Sensitized by word of mouth and encouraged by the maternity ward manager, Otshumba and Yema agreed to follow the program.

Dr. Marie-Claire Manafundu Diandja, the program’s coordinator within the East Congo Health Department, said that the initiative aims to reduce preventable maternal and child mortality by strengthening local health systems.

“The program is not limited to routine checkups,” Manafundu said. “It offers a comprehensive approach that includes medical care, nutritional advice and, above all, psychological support to help women overcome past trauma.”

Monitored since the last trimester of 2024, the two women have benefited from close supervision. Medical teams have conducted thorough examinations to identify the causes of their previous complications. They diligently attended the four recommended prenatal consultations, including the final visit, which generally has low attendance in the region.

“This regular monitoring allowed me to understand the possible causes of my miscarriages and receive appropriate treatment,” Otshumba said.

The efforts paid off in 2025. Under the supervision of midwives and doctors who anticipated the risks, Otshumba carried her pregnancy to term, giving birth to Amisi, who is now 5 months old and in perfect health.

Reflecting on what she’s been through, Otshumba becomes emotional. “I spent many years in my marriage, but every time I got pregnant, it ended in miscarriage. Sometimes I gave birth, but the children died. But since I’ve been under the care of doctors, I conceived my son Amisi.”

For her, this victory is both personal and social.

“I have regained my joy and self-confidence,” she says. “My husband and family, who had been sad for so long, have found happiness and stability again.”

Yema shares this feeling of rebirth. After seven years of waiting, she is now experiencing something she no longer dared to hope for.

“I spent seven years in my marriage without getting pregnant. Since I have been receiving care at the Lokole Methodist Hospital Center, I have received good treatment that has allowed me to become pregnant again. My son is developing well, and I know he will be born without any problems.”

Dr. Michel Sakaungu, medical director of the hospital, said that the success of these births has created a positive shockwave in the community. “Marie and Aimérance have become sources of inspiration, encouraging other women … who are facing the same difficulties, not to give up and to trust the church’s health facilities.”

Sakaungu noted that these individual successes have a collective impact. “Their testimony inspires other women not to give up and to seek maternal health services.”

Among the 7,030 women consulted in all health facilities for the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health program in 2025, the cases of Otshumba and Yema at the Lokole center illustrate the effectiveness of personalized care. They represent tangible successes among others in Kindu, and in the United Methodist annual conferences of Kivu and the Eastern and Equatorial provinces, resulting from patients taking ownership of their prenatal care.

The program combines clinical care, health education and family support. By supporting initiatives such as malnutrition care and monitoring through community messaging systems, it demonstrates the church’s commitment to uniting the proclamation of the Gospel with the concrete promotion of health.

“With adequate access to health care and compassionate support, pain can be transformed into victory,” Manafundu said. “The stories of these two women show that we can bring back smiles where there were tears.”

For The United Methodist Church, this work is a form of ministry.

“The program continues to work to ensure that every pregnancy is a promise of life and not a source of anxiety,” Manafundu said. “This is how we affirm our commitment to healing bodies and restoring hearts broken by suffering.”

Londe is a UM News correspondent in Congo.

News media contact: Julie Dwyer at newsdesk@umnews.org. To read more United Methodist news, subscribe to the free UM News Digest.