Rendezvous in Rhamu. Teaching and learning with traditional birth attendants in rural Kenya

When Carol Steele came to Rhamu, Kenya, in 1983 as a Quaker, Peace, and Service volunteer, there was little or no contact or cooperation between the Government Health Center personnel and the traditional birth attendants of the surrounding villages. The two groups were worlds apart in thinking, attitudes, and practices. The government center was viewed as alien by the people, with nothing to offer them except emergency care. The health center personnel viewed the traditional birth attendants as uneducated, unskilled women, who jealously kept clients away from the professional obstetric care the clinic provided. It was Carol Steele's plan to bring these diverse groups together in a professional, trusting relationship. Her success in accomplishing this task is the theme of this article.