When the midwives and stars of Channel 4’s ‘One Born Every Minute’ series visited Liberia with Save the Children they were shocked to discover that young mums in Liberia face a 1 in 24 chance of dying during pregnancy or childbirth when a simple trip to a clinic could save their lives. Yet many mums-to-be have to walk for up to 8 hours to get to their nearest clinic, and the journey can be treacherous.
So when Gemma Raby, Louise Holt, and Maud Hardy stepped into their first Save the Children supported health clinic in Liberia recently, they were amazed at the difference your donations make.
As Gemma explains, "At Leeds General where I work, we have between 9 and 11 midwives per shift on the labour ward. We also, crucially, have dedicated medical staff on hand.
“In the Liberian clinic it was impressive to see that with basic facilities and staffing, and no doctor presence they were able to provide safe care to a large community, preventing hundreds of women from delivering in poor health at home with no help. This was really uplifting!”
What Gemma and her fellow UK midwives saw was the direct result of your donations to Save the Children.
And now with your help, they’re building and equipping six new mother and baby clinics in Liberia’s poorest regions as part of our Build It for Babies appeal.
The ‘One Born Every Minute’ stars saw at firsthand how even the smallest donations to buy essential items like thermometers, stethoscopes, and scissors make such a difference.
“It means being able to monitor patients more carefully which for a young mother with a suspected infection…can literally be life-saving,” explained Gemma.
Small items of comfort like pillows also help to make giving birth a more positive experience.
“Childbirth shouldn’t just be about survival. Save the Children’s impact cannot be underestimated.”
Gemma continued: “Establishing and improving the presence of maternal waiting homes run by qualified midwives is such a precious gift to Liberia’s babies and to mums like Mamie”.
“It would be wonderful,” adds Gemma, “if childbirth in Liberia could be a fulfilling experience to be treasured rather than a frightening experience to be survived.”
Please help raise the £500,000 needed to build six new clinics in Liberia: Donate now to the Build it for Babies Appeal.
Source: Save the Children UK
