| Cord applications |
“You crush the charcoal, mix it with cooking oil, and apply to the cord. The reason why I put charcoal and salad (cooking) oil is for the cord to remain soft. It will not hurt the baby.”(FGD 35) |
Age unknown, Grandmother, Livingstone |
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“They used mabono (a fruit from a local tree)…they used to fry them, then pound them and then put them in boiling water, then take the oil that comes on top and it was scooped out with a spoon or bark of a tree and used to apply” (IDI 5) |
56 year old, female untrained TBA, Choma |
| Substances to accelerate cord detachment |
“Others used to burn the stalk of the pumpkin…others used chicken droppings mixed with cooking oil, then you take a chicken feather and use it for applying on the cord at the root…so that it dries off quickly.” (FGD 15) |
Age unknown, TBA, Mazabuka |
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“After the cord drops, you take cockroaches, burn them and crush into a powder and apply on the baby’s cord until it heals.” (FGD 32) |
Age unknown, untrained TBA, Livingstone |
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“I also saw people pounding tusumbwa (black small anthill in swampy areas) then take ‘bulongo’ (dirt from anthills) and put it on the cord for fast drying” (IDI 4) |
35 year old, male CHW, Choma |
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“If you want the cord to separate quickly, you will get ‘muuye’ (the nest of a biting wasp)…[pound into] a powder, you just put on the umbilical cord.” (IDI 7) |
39 year old, female untrained TBA, Choma |
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“The mother puts breast milk, sometimes they use dirt from the main door entrance so that the cord can dry and drop fast.” (IDI 8) |
50 year old, female untrained TBA, Choma |
| Medicinal applications |
“There is something they put and it’s called mafuta mbooma (oil from the Python snake).” (IDI 34) |
54 year old, male traditional healer, Livingstone |
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“Like me, if there is pus discharge on the cord, that’s when I put charcoal powder so that it can heal quickly.” (IDI 30) |
54 year old, female traditional healer, Livingstone |
