This archive report was first published on 22 October 2019.
On October 22, 2019, a young woman named Rebecca Atieno delivered her baby at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, Kenya, in a heart-wrenching and miraculous birth.
Atieno, who was just 7 months pregnant at the time, had been fired from her job as a waitress and was struggling to afford medical care. With no money to take a taxi to the City County toilets, she was left alone and dejected, with no choice but to give birth on her own.
With no scissors or razors available, Atieno used a sim-card holder to cut the umbilical cord, a desperate measure that saved her baby's life. It was only later that a good Samaritan, Christine Riungu, saw her and called the St John's ambulance, providing her with food, water, and a Maasai wrap to cover the baby.
Atieno was later transferred to the Kenyatta National Hospital, where she received medical attention. Today, she is living in Ongata Rongai, where she is being housed by Riungu, and is grateful for the second chance at life that she and her baby have been given.
