In southern Senegal, in the rural areas of the Simbandi Brassou arrondissement, Balouo Salo has launched a humanitarian project to donate portable and fixed ultrasound machines to local healthcare facilities. The goal is to drastically reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates, ensuring women the fundamental right to monitor their pregnancies for free and close to home.

Before this intervention, in this remote area, access to ultrasound exams was a privilege for very few women. The only hospitals equipped with ultrasound machines are located over 100 km away, in towns reachable only by unpaved roads in critical conditions, with expensive or unavailable transportation. This situation made it practically impossible for the poorest families to undergo necessary medical check-ups, with serious and often fatal consequences.

Without monitoring during pregnancy, many women gave birth at home, without medical assistance and in extremely precarious hygienic conditions. The risks were enormous: undetected complications, fetal distress, incorrect fetal positions, or undiagnosed pathologies led to one of the highest mortality rates in the country for both mothers and newborns.

Thanks to the involvement of private donors, fundraising events, the 5x1000 tax donation, and the international Kaira Looro competition, Balouo Salo has succeeded in donating three ultrasound machines complete with gynecological probes and printers, currently operational at the Health Posts of Kolibantang, Baghere, and Simbandi Brassou. Every year, these devices allow over 3,800 women to access essential free diagnostic check-ups for a successful pregnancy.

Thanks to this initiative, local healthcare workers can now intervene promptly in case of complications, guide families towards assisted deliveries, and safeguard the health of mothers and babies. The ultrasound machine has thus become a true lifesaving tool, a symbol of equity, the right to health, and dignity.