MABEDA Outreach Promotes Maternal and Child Health

Last week, SAFE Community Group, Matove Beads Development Association (MABEDA) held an outreach event. Events like this allow the community members to perform educational dramas and songs that they write about maternal and child health. Subjects that they cover include everything from the importance of delivering in a health center to the signs and symptoms of malaria (and how to prevent and treat it) to hygiene to gender equality.

Above picture: some of the children who attended the event with their parents--never to young to learn about the importance of good maternal and child health! Way to go MABEDA!

Do Something Seed Grant Implementation!

Kalalu Women's Voice (women's group) welcoming SAFE with a song.

Women in Kalalu Women's Voice now incorporate nutrition education in their safe motherhood activities (especially a brand new safe motherhood home-to-home visitation program).

For the first time ever, the men of Kalalu--specifically of Bugya Bukye and KAMEDE men's group--attended a safe motherhood training. Traditionally, local cultural views birth and child-rearing as a female responsibility; by participating in this training, these men are showing their commitment to safe motherhood--and we couldn't be happier!

A men demonstrating "kangaroo care" as part of safe motherhood training.

One of the women's groups fields, which will be used for planting the organic sweet potatoes and passion fruit seeds that were purchased by the Do Something Seed Grant, after the groups received organic farming training.

Webale inho (Thank you so much) Do Something!!!!

Thank You Do Something!!!

A special thanks to Do Something (dosomething.org) for our $500 Seed Grant! Safe Mothers, Safe Babies summer team from Jefferson Medical College implemented our Seed Grant working with women's groups and development associations on safe motherhood initiatives. The project was a HUGE success, and accomplished:

• Helped two new women's groups form, all of which conduct safe motherhood activities and outreach.
• Provided safe motherhood training to 7 groups.
• Worked with 3 groups on developing high-quality safe motherhood and general health education dramas.
• Provided organic farming training (which is how the groups sustain their activities) to 7 groups.
• Provided organic passion fruit and sweet potato seeds to 3 groups.
• Registered 5 groups with the sub-county.
• Provided group management and business training to 7 groups.
• Provided emergency neonatal resuscitation training to two health centers.

This project allowed us to reach more than 200 men and women with safe motherhood education, who are in turn educating more than 4,000 people in their communities. Each of three groups planting passion fruit and sweet potatoes will also strengthen the nutrition for at least 60 families; because the planting will be done organically (from the Do Something funded organic farming training), it will also overcome many fertility and health problems that local people have incurred after using pesticide improperly. Webale inho Do Something!!

Happy International Women's Day!

Happy International Women's Day from Safe Mothers, Safe Babies! Today we encourage you to reflect on all the women in your life that makes it what it is today. Without mothers, sisters, wives, daughters, grandmothers, aunts, and friends, our lives would be lonely! Thank you to all the special women who have helped us individually and as an organization!

Below are members of Kalalu Women's Voice, the first Kalalu community-formed club exclusively for women to discuss reproductive health and undertake projects to improve it. In Uganda, International Women's Day Celebration activities are just wrapping up. The festivities include song and dance performances, KAMEDE men's club debate about "how many wives and children are the best number to have," immunizations, malaria education, mosquito net distribution, and other health screenings. Check back in the next week for pictures of the event.