This post originally appeared on the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation website.

Sarudzai, 33, and her husband Thomas, 39, are a couple in rural Zimabawe who are expecting their third child. Although their first two babies were born at home, Sarudzai is giving birth at the Chundu clinic this time. Sarudzai is staying at the Chundu women’s waiting shelter adjacent to the health clinic, which is more than two hours from Sarudzai’s home on foot.

“In our community, we were encouraged by the Crow Heads to come to the clinic to give birth,” Sarudzai explains.

Crow Heads are community leaders who have been trained as health advocates by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF). They educate their communities about the importance of visiting the clinic for prenatal care, infant delivery, and mother and child health. This means that expectant mothers are tested and treated for HIV. Their children are also tested and treated for HIV and are vaccinated.

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