"Uganda is one of the least urbanized countries in Africa, where over 80 percent of the population of about 20 million people live in rural areas. Uganda's economy depends mainly on agriculture and women contribute 60–80 percent of the labour. Women's health, therefore, has vital social and economic implications for national development. However, among Ugandan women of reproductive age, maternal health issues are a major problem as demonstrated by the following indicators: a high maternal mortality rate estimated at 506/100,000; an equally high fertility rate of about 6.9; only about 38 percent births are attended to by trained health workers, the rest (62 percent) are attended by Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs) and relatives.

To address these problems, the Ugandan Ministry of Health (MoH) identified several strategies and activities. Some of these activities included expanding the referral system and improving the TBA network as well as training TBAs. The Rural Extended Services and Care for Ultimate Emergency Relief (RESCUER) project was started as one of these initiatives."

Source: Dr. Musoke, M. G.N., 2002. IBFRD.