AustLit

Maternal mortality is high in Myanmar (formerly Burma) with an estimated 200 deaths per 100,000 live births. Infant mortality is also high, with an estimated 54 children per 1,000 live births dying before they are one year old. Ma Ma Oo is an eight-part radio serial written and produced for broadcast in Myanmar. 'With a focus on maternal health, the drama [explores] issues such as pre and postnatal care, HIV and contraception, with an overarching theme that encouraged husbands to take part in planning for pregnancy, caring for and supporting their wives' (Put it Out There Pictures).

The series is set in a rural village and 'centres on a professional, young midwife called May as she navigated her way through her first week of work. With guidance and mentoring from a traditional midwife based in the village - Ma Ma Oo, May is thrust into a series of dramatic events including family feuds, unplanned pregnancies, an HIV scare and a missing baby. Along the way, she also manages to become romantically entangled with a local boy called Ko Ko' ('New Radio Drama for Mayanmar' Asia Radio Today - sighted 13/04/2016).