One mother at a time
An informed and empowered mother is a force for change, not only for her newborn, but for her whole family.
Educate
Recently, our midwife Anne Kretschmer was invited to talk about ways to soothe a crying baby on one of the major TV networks. Clear and consistent messages of practical help and encouragement on social media and in the media have helped us expand our reach beyond the hospital walls. Mamicare
Another way that we have found to reach mothers before they give birth and just after is by providing prenatal classes and home visits in the community. We were so happy to welcome back Diana who had taken part in our prenatal classes and was now doing a refresher on baby first aid.
We see the difference an informed and encouraged mother can be to her family. It motivates us to continue helping mothers become the best they can be.
Equip
Our volunteers Anne and Bethany go 3-4 times a week to meet with new moms and help them with breastfeeding. Many moms have babies in the NICU who aren’t able to provide breastmilk for their babies due to lack of education and equipment.
We shared with you our efforts to purchase a hospital grade breast pump to help the mothers who have their babies in the NICU. This pump would dramatically improve the success of many moms hoping to provide breastmilk for their vulnerable babies. We were able to raise $426, close to 21% of our goal.
While we did not reach our fundraising goal through GlobalGiving, we have a continued desire to raise funds and complete the project. We continue to share about the needs with donors.
We are excited to see the impact that the Boxes of Joy project has had this year. It has connected us to mothers from all over Albania, most of whom choose to give birth in the capital; this is because there are no OBGyns in the other cities and rural areas. Through your generous donations, we are able to provide a joy-filled and dignified set of baby essentials to equip each mother who finds herself in need at birth.
This month we were called by the refugee services who let us know of a refugee mother who had just given birth to twins prematurely. We have visited her twice now, providing her with needs for her babies, as well as clothes for her and the rest of her family. This project often connects us to other organizations and efforts to help mothers and their newborns in crisis situations.
Advocate
Campaign against Sex-Selective Abortion
Albanian statistics show that sex-selective abortions are a key reason for the imbalance in births of boys to girls. Gender-elective abortion is a significant social issue in Albania.
To combat the phenomenon, we are partnered with Fibank and UNFPA to raise awareness that all female children are treasures to be protected.
#tjeterheremevajze
(“Next time may you have a daughter!”)
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