Faiths Act

Health Poverty Action believes that every woman has the right to give birth safely and live to take care of her child. Sierra Leone is one of the most dangerous places to give birth. According to the UN, one in seven women there eventually dies as a result of pregnancy or childbirth. It’s a scandal because most of these deaths can easily be prevented. Spotting when a pregnant woman is in danger and taking her to hospital where she can be cared for by trained health staff can save her life.

For the last six years we have been working in the remote northern Bombali region. We’re providing the district hospital with essential drugs and equipment and training health workers to deal with childbirth emergencies. We’re big believers in preventing problems in the first place, so we’re also visiting villages throughout the region to teach people how to protect their health and prevent disease.

The impact of our work so far is clear to see: we’ve lowered maternal deaths by 72% at the hospital. We strive for mothers to give birth safely and their children to survive and thrive.

The fellows join at last!

We’re delighted that the Tony Blair Faith Foundation is joining us in our fight for safer motherhood. Thanks to them, we have been joined by Cat and Harsha, two Faiths Act Fellows. Their arrival has been eagerly anticipated and they will spend the year getting people involved in our special sponsored walk, the March for Mothers. Its aim is simple: to raise money so that we can save the lives of more mothers and children. We are a small team in the UK office and organising a big event like this just wouldn’t be possible without them. This event will mean so much for the health of vulnerable women and children.

Date for your diary

Keep Saturday 17th March 2012 free and join us in Manchester or London for the March for Mothers. It’s the time for people who care about mothers and children to come together, show their support and raise vital funds for our work.

Over the years faith communities have been fantastic supporters of our work. We’re really keen to galvanise this goodwill and bring together to make a positive difference to the health of the world’s poorest people. We believe that faith communities can play their part in improving health and fighting poverty by joining us on our March for Mothers.

If you live in a different area or would like to March for Mothers on a different day, that’s great - just contact us for your organiser’s pack.

Health Poverty Action believes that every mother has the right to give birth safely and live to bring up her child. Join us in ensuring the precious lives and potential of mothers and babies are not lost.

Helen Stack