The Maternal and Child Health Care Centre will cater for the needs of hundreds of  women and children in the locality. Barola Haus Mama, was started in 2007 by Tasmen Tusero, a Community Health Worker from Umpaka Village. He recognized the need for bringing mothers and child health care closer to the village level thereby reducing the high child mortality rates in the area. Mr Tusero and his family funded and built the initial building out of local bush materials. The Centre has looked after the successful delivery of more than 200 babies and attended to more than 400 other health related consultations such as childrens vaccinations.  

This is the second facility provided by the Digicel Foundation for health related services. The first facility was launched in July of this year at Saroa Keina village in Central Province in partnership with the Canossian Sisters and also caters for village based health services.

 Also present at the launch today was, Marena Sansan, Board member of the Foundation and the Digicel Regional Manager for the Highlands who congratulated the community for their efforts and added

“We are very excited about the launch of this facility here at Barola Haus Mama. The Digicel Foundation especially recognizes those communities who are helping themselves with the resources they have. In providing this facility we aim to improve the current level of health service that is being provided especially for the women and children in this rural area where access to health services is not always readily available. We thank our partners for bringing us to these communities so that we can join hands and provide meaningful services to the people living here”.

 The Foundation is working closely with Government, non-government organizations, churches and the private sector to get the Foundation’s projects in the areas of Basic Education infrastructure and Family Support related infrastructure off the ground. To date the Foundation has launched 33 Community Learning Centres of which two are used as community based health centres, four school infrastructure projects, a Meri Seif Haus and a mobile clinic. The Foundation is currently engaged in another two school building projects, a second Meri Seif Haus and mobile clinic project and is currently in the process of rolling out another 8 new concept Community Learning Centres in the Highlands region. By improving infrastructure in the areas of basic education and family support the Digicel Foundation strives to empower communities which in turn will endow them with a positive outlook for their future.