Malawi has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 439 deaths per 100,000 live births recorded between 2010 and 2016. Many of these deaths are preventable, yet countless women continue to face life-threatening complications due to limited access to skilled birth attendants, inadequate emergency obstetric care, and a lack of comprehensive reproductive health services. But amidst these sobering statistics, Lucy Msukwa is changing the narrative.
In 2019, Lucy Msukwa founded Uchembere Wabwino Maternity, a clinic that provides a haven for expectant mothers. Now, Msukwa and her team help women survive childbirth through antenatal care, skilled delivery assistance, and postnatal support.
Msukwa’s backstory
Lucy Msukwa still remembers her long, silent nights at her mother’s bedside. As a child, she was too young to understand what was happening entirely, yet old enough to sense the fear in the air. Her mother, a diabetic and hypertensive patient, had just given birth to her youngest brother. But she didn’t survive.
That moment changed everything, and Msukwa vowed that no child should have to endure the pain of losing a mother to childbirth.
As she grew older, her passion for nursing and midwifery deepened. She was accepted into Kamuzu College of Nursing, where she trained to become a midwife. After graduation, she spent seven years working in Malawi’s public health system, witnessing firsthand the challenges that pregnant women—especially those in rural areas—faced.
Hence, in 2019, she took a bold step and founded Uchembere Wabwino Maternity, which loosely translates to Safe Motherhood. She aims to create a space where women can give birth safely without the fear of life-threatening complications.
Located in Mzuzu, Malawi, Uchembere Wabwino Maternity focuses on prevention rather than just treatment. The clinic provides a comprehensive range of maternal and child health services, including antenatal care to detect and address complications early, family planning services to empower women with reproductive choices, immunisations and diagnostic tests to protect both mothers and infants and monthly outreach visits to deliver essential healthcare to remote villages where hospitals are scarce.
Since opening its doors, the clinic has recorded over 6,000 safe deliveries with zero maternal deaths. Its impact continues to grow, with a 163% increase in client base and a 40% rise in revenue, allowing it to expand its services even further.
Msukwa’s social impact moves
Lucy Msukwa’s work goes beyond her clinic’s boundaries. She passionately advocates for sexual and reproductive health education, especially for youth.
Through the ” Uchembere Youth for Change ” programme, she teaches secondary school students about reproductive health and entrepreneurship. She is also a recruitment ambassador for the African Women Entrepreneurship Cooperative and helps connect female entrepreneurs with resources to grow their businesses. Additionally, she collaborates with the University of Washington’s Global Health Department to coordinate online professional development courses in Malawi.
She has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the U.S. African Development Foundation and won an $8,000 prize from the Code Family Foundation to support her mission of providing equal access to safe maternal care.
