Euro aid helps the lucky few in Tanzania

THE maternity ward teemed with mothers and their new-born babies. One single bed was having to be shared by three women, but none of them thought of complaining — they knew they were lucky to have found a hospital place at all.

The ward would be considered squalid beyond use in Ireland, but in the poverty and despair of east Africa, the overcrowded room where some mothers were forced to squat on the floor due to lack of beds was a lifeline of hope.

There was precious little technology on show, but there was a roof and mosquito nets, which ensured the expectant mothers and their babies had a much better chance of survival than if the birth occurred in their slum homes.