A Ugandan Midwife's Mission to Save Lives

Another miracle is brought into this world in the Katine village of North East Uganda.  New mother, Priscilla Alupo, smiles from ear to ear as she eagerly shows off her new son, George, to visitors.

Esther Madudu, one of three midwives at Tiriri health center, helped to deliver George along with the births of four other babies all in a single night's shift.  Midwife for 11 years, Madudu, 31, is passionate about what she does.  "I love talking about the mothers I help deliver.  We deliver 45 to 50 mothers every month, so I save 45 to 50 mothers and babies a month."  During her time at Tiriri, no mother has died during childbirth.

The problem here lies in the condition of the center.  Giving birth at night is a bit difficult with no electricity. So how do these women overcome this hurdle?  Well, they use the light cast by mobile phones, which are held in their mouths to ensure the beams are directed where needed.  The damage that has taken place eight years ago to the Katine village has left the health center no power supply, but fortunately their water source is still in tact.

Scheduled to attend the Women's Forum Global meeting, in Deauville, France, Madudu will address delegates about her work and the health challenges faced by women in Africa.  With the launch of her campaign, Up for African Mothers, coming up, the severity of this continent's high maternal mortality rates will hopefully raise the much needed political attention.  Looking on a larger scale, it goes without saying that the millennium goals to reduce death rates among women and children in these poor countries will not be met by 2015 if the sufficient funds aren't received.

Here are some statistics to think about:

• An estimate of 358,000 women die in pregnancy or childbirth every year due to lack off access to basic medical care or trained staff
• Majority of deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa
• 70% of women don't receive prenatal care and half of all deliveries take place at home without medical assistance

In a rural village like Katine, the wages are low and the housing is inadequate.  Yet, these factors are looked past.  "When you love your work and want to save lives of mothers, you go there.  That's why I stay in Tiriri.  The pay is little, but God pays me because I know I have saved lives," explains Madudu.  Within the next few years, she will travel the world to promote the African mother's campaign.

"My dream was to save lives. When you hear a baby cry on delivery, everyone begins to rejoice."

- Esther Madudu, Midwife and Advocate

-Georisa Chang

Source: The Guardian

Giving the Poor a Voice & a Conference

In response to the UN MDG Summit in New York, the idea for a conference featuring the world's actual poor (and not just word leaders and celebrities) was born from a Twitter discussion about the lack of grassroots voices at the Summit.

This idea became the "Villages in Action" conference, which was held on November 27 in western Uganda. Almost 600 villagers gathered to have a conversation about the state of development in their region, and whether or not that development was in line with achieving any of the Millennium Development Goals. The conference was broadcast globally and with the help of the internet the rest of the world could engage directly with the grassroots people.

As the co-founder of Project Diaspora describes it, this conference was less about the numbers, charts and power-point slides, but more about the local community working together and celebrating everyday life. "It was about making sure everyone knew that their efforts contributed to a whole. This was about showing the power of ubuntu – "I am because you are"."

-Clare O.

SOURCE: The Guardian

White House Unveils Lord's Resistance Army Strategy

This week the White House released a 33 page policy memo detailing its strategy in defeating the Lord's Resistance Army and mitigating the damage caused by them. This is the first time that an administration has released a full report and strategy for Uganda.

The Lord's Resistance Army, a terrorist group that blends elements of mysticism, Christianity, and doomsday prophesy to stir its followers, has led a rebellion against the Ugandan government for over thirteen years and use sex slaves, rape, and child soldiers to further their goals.

This document, prepared as a result of the Lord’s Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009, outlines specific goals and objectives that the Obama administration wishes to achieve, including the elimination of the army, the prosecution of Joseph Kony and other leaders, and meeting the basic needs of the Ugandan citizens.

-Corey Cox

SOURCE: White House LRA Strategy

Development Starts With a Village

The Guardian’s editor, Alan Rusbridger, along with a few key partner organizations launched the Katine project in October 2007, and since then it has changed lives in north-eastern Uganda. The Katine project addresses poverty in the village Katine, by equipping villagers with the skills and knowledge to help themselves. In the past 3 years alone, Katine has seen 150 village savings and loan associations set up, a grain store built, and more than 7,000 malaria nets distributed to families with small children. Furthermore, a network of committees has been nurtured: village health teams, parent-teacher associations, water source committees, farmers' groups, parent-teacher associations, and village savings associations. Thus far, the project has been a success and what remains to be seen – and will be the ultimate measure of the project’s success – is its sustainability.

-Clare O.

SOURCE: The Guardian

READing from UK to Uganda

The award winning recycling charity called READ International has shipped its largest its largest shipment of reference and textbooks to Uganda from the UK. 33,000 books have been sent to schools in Uganda and Tanzania. Since 2006, the charity organization has been improving access to education across the region through the donation of over 1.3 million books.

The way it works: READ has many drop off boxes where people can drop their books off. Books can also be gathered from nearby secondary schools which are then sorted to make sure only relevant books are sent. All books that are not sent are sold online to cover the cost of shipping the book to Uganda and Tanzania. This simple and low cost model is what has made READ so successful. Through a number of key partnerships, the cost of shipping these books are very low (almost 50 pence each!)

All the books are written in English. The UK and both Uganda and Tanzania follow the secondary school system. The books that are sent almost mirror the classes that are taught in the UK and are perfect.

You can contact READ International at:
Contact: READ International,
Vintage House, 37 Albert Embankment, Vauxhall, London, SE1 7TL
Telephone: +44 (0)20 3031 9116
Website: www.readinternational.org.uk

-Shereen Alibhai

SOURCE: Positive News

Warmth for the Holidays

Holiday spirit comes early in Uganda this year as mom's are unwrapping some of the highest quality clothing and custom flannel baby blankets. The gifts from Seattle are given to moms and babies at rural maternity clinics. Ten thousand articles of clothing- shirts, pants, and more donated by ExOfficio (worth a quarter million dollars) are being handed out to those with the greatest need.

The baby blankets, made by Seattle-based Swaddle Designs are soft, organic cotton blankets that reminds newborns of being in the womb and helps them sleep better and prevent over-stimulation.

Spreading a little warmth before the Holidays is an answer to many prayers.

-Shereen Alibhai

SOURCE: World Concern