Hazel Shandumba, 27, is from Hamakando village in Monze district, Zambia. ‘We have a borehole at the clinic but there is no running water in the maternity ward,’ she says. ‘I have heard elderly women telling different do’s and don’ts [for pregnancy]. I was told not to sleep too much during the daytime. If I do, the baby would also sleep at the time of delivery. I am not supposed to stand in the doorway because the baby will do the same while being delivered and will delay. I was told not to put a scarf or necklace around my neck because the baby’s umbilical cord will wrap around the neck.’

Photograph: Chileshe Chanda/WaterAid