Grace Kodindo facts for kids

Grace Kodindo (born 1960) is a very important doctor from Chad. She is an obstetrician, which means she specializes in helping women during pregnancy and childbirth. Dr. Kodindo has worked hard to make healthcare better for women, not just in Chad but in many poor countries around the world.

Her amazing work has been shown in two BBC documentaries. These films helped people understand the challenges women face during childbirth.

Early Life and School

Grace Kodindo was born in 1960 in a town called Doba in southern Chad. Her father, Jean Kodindo Demba, worked for the government. Grace and all her brothers and sisters went to school.

After finishing high school in N'Djamena, she received a special scholarship. This scholarship was from the Canadian government. It allowed her to study medicine at the Université de Montréal in Canada.

A Doctor's Journey

When Dr. Kodindo returned to Chad, she got married and later had two sons. In the mid-1980s, she spent four years in Sudan. There, she trained to become a gynaecologist, a doctor who specializes in women's health.

In 1990, she received help from the French government. Her goal was to lower the number of babies dying in Chad. At that time, Chad had one of the highest rates of infant deaths in the world. Even after the funding ended, she kept working in hospitals with very few supplies. People in Europe and North America noticed her dedicated efforts.

Teaching and Helping Communities

Besides her hospital work, Dr. Kodindo also taught medical students. She worked at the University of N'Djamena. From 1997 to 2006, she teamed up with another Chadian doctor, Mariam Brahim. Together, they helped create a program to teach people about children's health across the country.

Dr. Kodindo also spoke out against harmful traditional practices that affect women's health. She taught people about the serious medical problems these practices could cause. Because of her important work, she received the Chad Medal of Honour in 1997. In 2000, she won another award for her emergency care for pregnant women. She also started working closely with Columbia University in the United States. She even taught at their Mailman School of Public Health.

Global Impact and Recognition

In 2005, the BBC made a documentary about Dr. Kodindo. It showed her efforts to reduce the number of women dying during pregnancy or childbirth in Africa. At that time, about 9% of pregnant women in Chad faced the risk of dying. The film was shown widely and helped raise awareness.

This publicity led to the creation of "Hope for Grace Kodindo." This is a nonprofit group that raises money for women's health programs in poor African countries. Thanks to this funding, Dr. Kodindo shared amazing news in May 2008. She told the European Parliament that deaths during childbirth in Chad's biggest hospital had dropped a lot. Deaths during pregnancy also went down significantly. Her work gained more attention, and she was invited to join a global health project.

In 2009, Dr. Kodindo helped with a healthcare program in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This led to another BBC documentary called Grace Under Fire. It showed how hard it was for women to give birth in a country affected by war. Dr. Kodindo said that women and children suffer the most in conflicts. That same year, she received an award from the Danish Government. This award recognized her efforts to provide healthcare for women worldwide.

See also

In Spanish: Grace Kodindo para niños