Mayi Nayere Jekete, a Malawian Traditional Birth Attendant (TBA) hailing from Mbewa village T/A Chadza in Lilongwe, was one of the awardees who stole hearts of many at the 2008 Diversity Leader Gala held at Sunbird Mount Soche Hotel in the country’s commercial city Blantyre.
Though she does not how to read or write, incmedia, organizers of the 4th annual event, which was initiated in 2005 to honor individuals and institutions that have tremendously contributed to Malawi’s development in both social and economic sectors, recognized Mayi Nayere for her revolutionary humanitarian work.
According to her memory, she doesn't remember the year she was born but only knows she started her work one year before Malawi’s First President Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda came into the country; this should be 1957, meaning she has been in the profession for 50 years today.
Mayi Nayere operates from her home about 20 Kilometers from Lilongwe town, on the Lilongwe-Blantyre road at a place called Nayere Turn-off just after Nanjiri Trading Center. She has mentored her daughters (who are now mothers) the skills of being a TBA.
Her wonderful work attracted the attention of Dr. Bullow an Obstrecian, then working at Kamuzu Central Hospital, who together with the Ministry of Health trained her.
Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) hatched a project to utilize her clinic for students’ community health clinical experiences. The KCN Malawi Scotland Millennium Project has led to the construction of a decent clinic at her place, where she attends to native, Mozambican and Zambian patients.
This amazing woman has a special gift. She can tell the sex of the unborn baby with 100% precision without using a scanning machine. She actually uses an old small mirror as her scanner.
She delivers 25-30 babies per month effectively; giving about 300 babies per year and cumulatively (for the 50 years of active practice) over fifteen thousand (15,000) babies. She has lost only one patient and this was due to her difficulty in calling an ambulance in time.
She also gives traditional herbs and treats infertility for both men and women. She hardly sleeps since clients visit her at anytime of the day.
Definitely, Mayi Nayere Jekete is an unsung hero and achiever deserving a place in the Traditional Birth Attendants History.
