On a research trip in Nigeria, Dr. Laura Stachel watched as
physicians performed an emergency cesarean section. What
happened next stunned her. "The lights went out," Stachel
recalled, "and I said, 'How are they going to finish?' " She was
even more surprised by the nonchalant response. "You didn't even
see people reacting because it was something they were so used
to," she said. Fortunately, Stachel had a flashlight with her,
and the doctors were able to use it to complete the surgery. But
during that two-week trip in 2008, she witnessed countless other
times when the lives of mothers and babies were at risk simply
because of a lack of reliable electricity. Pregnant women would
arrive at the hospital with severe complications, but without
adequate light to treat them, procedures had to be compromised
or delayed until daylight. Some women were even turned away. "I
realized that my skills as an obstetrician-gynecologist were
utterly useless (without) something as basic as light and
electricity," Stachel said.