GLOBAL CONNECT

Democratic Republic of Congo is 'world's toughest place to be a mother'

As a new report from Save the Children finds that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the world’s most difficult place to be a mother, we look at some of the challenges facing women in the country.

According to the charity's State of the World's Mothers report, a woman or girl in the Democratic Republic of Congo has a one in 30 chance of dying from maternal causes, including childbirth.

Many women are unable to reach clinics to give birth because they live so far away and cannot afford to make the journey to hospital.

Rose Muleka, featured in this video, was fortunate because she managed to walk to a clinic when her contractions began, giving her and her baby a greater chance of survival.

Her baby had to be resuscitated at birth because he was not breathing, and would have died if he had not been born in hospital.

Save the Children said that 48,000 babies die within 24 hours of being born every year in the DRC, and many more die within the first few months because they are malnourished.