The World Health Organization reported in 2013 that 289,000 women worldwide died during pregnancy or childbirth, and of those deaths 62% occurred in sub-Saharan Africa. This is due in part to generally dilapidated and insufficient facilities. In an effort to provide the tools and facilities to combat this inequality, Build Health International pitched the idea of a birthing center prototype to the Gould Family Foundation. The prototype would be a design to set the standard for birthing facilities in Jinja, Uganda.

BHI’s design incorporated smaller, affordable, adaptable, and scalable facilities in the hopes of this model being replicated across rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. With lessons learned from other Ugandan Maternal centers, the design focused on using passive ventilation and lighting strategies, local materials and skills, and considering the community education and gathering places in the layout. BHI recognized that in rural areas, health, especially the birth of a child, is a family affair and included flexible gathering spaces that could also be used as meeting spaces, outdoor breakout spaces, and arrival spaces. Another important aspect of this successful prototype is the inclusion of vernacular construction methods for easy replication and for maximizing sustainable opportunities, such as rooftop water/solar harvesting and building walls with local materials that have significant insulating properties. “In the end,” says co-founder Jim Ansara, “our prototype set the standard for what constitutes an adequate facility that can provide basic maternal and neonatal services.”