Life is frustrating at times. Something that really helps get through times of discouragement is having people in my life who inspire me.
Maggie and Mari Alexander inspire me. I’ve written about Mari before in Saving Lives With Images. She’s part of Safe Passage to Motherhood, a tiny non-profit that is working to save the lives of mothers and babies in Africa. In the first post I talked about how they use pictures to teach the Home Based Life Saving Skills program developed by the American College of Nurse Midwives. Over the last year I started attending their meetings, and helping out as I can. The more I have learned, the more inspired I am. This tiny group of people burn with passion, they are determined to make a difference.
Safe Passage to Motherhood is a group of Oregon-based health care providers and educators who are working to help save the lives of mothers and babies in high-risk areas of the developing world.
Seems so simple, yet as I have learned more about what they are doing, I am more in awe. In the first year, four people went over to learn about the village and what was needed, then one midwife returned the next year to begin the training program. They built connections and relationships. Instead of focusing on what the people don’t have, they started conversations about what they did, and how they can use those resources differently. So instead of focusing on the lack of ambulances to bring women to the clinic, they practiced using wheelbarrows for transport. Taught people how to do it as safely as possible when a mother is in distress.
Maggie went to Kenya last year. She trained 4 lead local trainers who trained 12 master trainers . Together they trained 28 local guides , so a total of 44 Kenyans learned how to save women and babies lives in under 2 weeks. This group has exploded into several thousand women and men – learning the key principals of how to save a life and they are continuing to teach 1,000′s more. The numbers of women coming to the clinic for care have tripled. They can’t keep up with the requests for teaching circles from neighboring villages.
The power of one midwife sharing what she knows about simple life saving skills.
Now they are going back to Kenya.
In July 2010, they are going back to Kenya with their sons. The trip is focused on assessing the effectiveness of the work they have done. They’ll continue to train people to identify life threatening symptoms. They plan to add prevention programs for children. They need help. It costs about $6000 each for the expenses to work in Africa for two weeks. Which isn’t very much to teach thousands of people. If you’d like to join me in supporting them, you can make a tax-deductible donation.
If you are in the Portland Oregon area, you are invited to a presentation May 23
You can meet some of the people involved in Safe Passage to Motherhood and hear more of their amazing stories at a presentation on Sunday May 23, 2010 from 3-5 PM.
Trillium Hollow Community Center
9601 NW Leahy Rd
Beaverton, OR 97229Questions? spminformation @ yahoo.com
I hope to see you there!
Also, there will be two events in the Cleveland, Ohio area on May 23
Sunday May 23, 11 am and 4 pm
24475 Penshurst Drive
Beachwood, OH 44122
Questions? spminformation @ yahoo.com
Who inspires you?
Are there people or organizations that get your attention? What do people do that is inspiring to you?
