“CHETNA” Celebrate your Pregnancy

“WHO defines maternal mortality as the death of a woman during pregnancy or in the first 42 days after the birth of the child due to causes directly or indirectly linked with pregnancy”. The Indian Government estimates that 301 women die annually for every 100,000 live births. Assam has the highest maternal mortality rate at 480 in India.

Ethnography conducted at villages of Guwahati and at the tea gardens of Dibrugarh

Guwahati

Belkona – 3 users and a Doctor
Katin Pahar – 7 users
Amin Gaon – 3 users and a Husband

Dibrugarh tea gardens:

Beheating – 3 users, 2 Husbands and a ASHA worker
Borborooah – 3 users and a ASHA worker
Boughpara – 3 users and 2 husbands
Mancotta – 3 users and 2 husbands

Target Group

A significant number of deaths occur in rural Assam, specifically in tea gardens and river islands. The users can be broadly categorized into three groups:

Women experiencing their first pregnancy
Women experiencing their second pregnancy
Women who have recently given birth (with children no older than 6 months).

Based on our interviews, approximately 95% of the users had not pursued any undergraduate education and came from families with a monthly income of less than ₹5000.00 (USD 100). All the interviewed users resided in joint families, where siblings, parents, and other relatives lived together.

The purpose of interviewing women during their second pregnancy is to gain insights into the challenges they encountered during their first pregnancy and the precautions they have taken for their second pregnancy. Additionally, we conducted interviews with family members, particularly husbands, to understand their level of knowledge regarding pregnancy and the support they provide to pregnant women.