Nsii Nukandirwa is 28 years and very organised

March 21st, 2009

Nsii Nukandirwa is 28 years old and pregnant for the fourth time. Her first three children are alive and well, and she’d like to have seven children in total. Today, Nsii is at the ‘Welcome village’ in Masisi hospital, set up by MSF for pregnant women at risk. She knows exactly what to expect from the delivery and is very organised.

“I was 18 when I had my first child. I have a child every two years. This way, by the time I have seven children, I’ll still be healthy and able to work in the fields. My husband prefers us to wait two and a half years between the births… we plan together and stay apart on the days when I’m most fertile so that I don’t become pregnant.”

“I am in my tenth month of pregnancy with this child. Maybe he feels better inside than outside!” Agathe, the MSF worker responsible for the ‘Welcome village’, intervenes: “It is not always easy here to count the number of months of pregnancy. Some woman can’t count, and some prenatal consultations aren’t accurate when it comes to determining the progress of the pregnancy.”

“At the moment, I’m a bit worried because I have contractions but I’m not dilating. I have been here for three days and my husband who is at home on his own is getting tired of doing everything alone.”

“I haven’t decided yet on a name for the baby. I’ll decide once I have him, or her, in my arms.”

Read other interviews and portraits of pregnant women here.

Read more information on MSF project in Masisi here.