Great Expectations:
An appeal from Save the Mothers December 2007

Dear Save the Mothers Advocate,

Thank you for allowing me to share this important appeal with you on behalf of Save the Mothers. It’s during this season of joy when we can reflect on the strides we’re making together. We’re rescuing thousands of mothers and children from preventable deaths, one Save the Mothers student at a time.

Some 1,500 mothers still die silently, everyday, in the developing world from preventable complications of childbirth, including 15, daily, in Uganda. Globally, four million children die annually as a result of poor maternal care. Our task is daunting.

Making a difference
But, together, we ARE making a difference: educating the politicians, teachers, tribal leaders, journalists, doctors, nurses and others who have the power to change societal attitudes. Starting here in Uganda, childbearing women will have the same chance at a healthy birth and life as women in North American do.

We now have 31 students in our newest Save the Mothers class at Uganda Christian University, from all walks of life. Let me introduce some of them.

• Christine Akelo is a refugee worker from the north, in Gulu, where war has been deadly to many mothers and their babies for 20 years.
  
• Emmanual Abanyira is an army official, a key person because wives of military-men are amongst some of the most neglected in the country.
  
• Yunia Lwanga is a respected school principal influencing tomorrow’s leaders. Allan Nankunda, specializes in health communications, raises AIDS awareness.
  
• Social worker Allan Baguma, recently spoke to delegates of the Commonwealth Summit about maternal and child care among Ugandan refugees.

Your support is critical
What does it take to give the necessary training to these Save the Mothers students? It takes the financial support of donors like you. Your financial support is critical.

Thanks to you, Ugandan Member of Parliament Sylvia Ssinabulya recently introduced new maternal care legislation, a change in national political policy that she accredits directly to her Save the Mothers training.

More needs to be done to continue to build this kind of societal network. I attended the international conference on safe motherhood ‘Women Deliver’ from Oct. 20 - 22. Nearly 2,000 international delegates were present. It was clear that while large volumes of research and data collection exist, few initiatives are fighting root problems on the ground. This only confirmed the multi-faceted approach of Save the Mothers.
For example, since Save the Mothers was launched in Uganda in 2005, media coverage for safe motherhood has risen considerably. Recently, both national newspapers had significant articles about the plight of Uganda’s mothers for Safe Motherhood Day.

Helping prevent one woman from dying in childbirth is a great thing. But helping to save thousands of women by changing these deeper societal views on women is what Save the Mother’s is all about. It’s how your dollars are spent.

We need monthly donors
Would you consider giving a much-needed gift to help sponsor a Save the Mothers student today? All gifts, regardless of amount, are so desperately needed and welcome.

I would especially like you to consider becoming a monthly donor, and join our Friends of Save the Mothers donor program, for several reasons.
First, it’s convenient and easy to manage. Your gift is automatically deducted from your bank account or credit card. It’s secure and confidential, and you can change or cancel it at any time.

A gift of just $20 month is only 66 cents a day, but even that will help an STM student pay for costs like tuition, learning resources and community outreach projects, which in turn will help needy Ugandan mothers.

Also, more of your gift goes directly to the program, because there are fewer administration costs in processing your donation.
Third, this also provides us with reliable funding that lets us plan ahead. Monthly donors are crucial in helping us map our future.

Thank you
As we approach this special season of reflection and giving, thank you for considering and acting on this important appeal. However you choose to give today, I only hope you do choose to stay involved.
I look forward to hearing from you.

Blessings to you and yours for the Christmas and Holiday Season,

Jean

Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese
Executive Director
Save the Mothers
director@savethemothers.org
www.savethemothers.org