My Own Mother

My name is Danielle. I am a member of WWHI's Advisory Committee and this is my mother. She will be one of the lucky recipients to get a gift from our Mother's Day campaign this year.

I was adopted as a baby. So, I have the unique experience of having two mothers. While I am thankful for the brave unknown woman who carried me for nine months and then actually physically produced me, this is the woman who raised me, fed me, taught me, loved me and continues to always be there for me. Whether it was letting me move back in while I was between apartments or driving an hour to hang out with me after a broken heart, she is always there for me when I need her.

My mother is beautiful, smart, fun, dependable and kind. I am thankful for her everyday and learn more and more what a wonderful gift she is. A big 'Hurray!' to all the mothers out there. To those who carried children, those who raised them and even those who aren't our actual mothers, but have taken us under their wing, thank you! We love you!

Donation Update...

Here is a quick update on the success of our Mother’s day donation campaign so far: to date we have raised close to $500 in donations! Not a bad start but I certainly believe we can step up our efforts and do more. Remember, every dollar counts and brings us one step closer to giving life.

Mother’s Day will soon be here and for all you procrastinators out there, here is your opportunity to find your mother a great gift that also honors motherhood. Remember to get your ordering in by May 3^rd.

Check out www.wwhi.org to order your gift now!

Melissa's Story

Hello WWHI readers. My name is Melissa and I have been invited to share my birth story with all of you. I relate to WWHI's mission because I believe no mother giving birth should be alone. Hopefully you'll enjoy my story.

My son was born on August 7^th 2009. He is such a blessing to my family and me. Every day is full of excitement. Without the care that he and I received I am not entirely sure that we would have survived to be here today. When my son was born he went into shock and refused to breath. It took a team of nurses and doctors to get him to breath. Several hours later they brought my son to me so I could feed him. While he was Brest feeding, it caused my uterus to contract and as a result I hemorrhaged. The baby was taken away from me and within minutes I had about six nurses and two doctors working on me, trying to get the bleeding to stop, they were prepping me for surgery. I remember I almost blacked out, things were spinning, but I was able to hold on. They finally got the bleeding to stop and I did not need surgery after all, I ended up losing about a litter of blood total, it took about five months before I felt like myself again.

I know millions of women go through much worse then what I went through, but I feel that if the women and girls in other parts of the world that are less fortunate then our country the mortality rate could be a lot lower, and in these rural parts of the world it wouldn’t be a time of morning, but rather a time of happiness and joy. If we could do the simple act of helping women and young girls who are in desperate need for knowledge and support, just think how that action can have a ripple effect, not just on the women or girls you help, but you will be helping a family, a linage, and a society to become better and stronger as time goes on.

Why Give...

The opportunity to give someone their mother back is rare and priceless, never pass up such an opportunity.

Necklace of Hope

We have drawn a lucky winner....

Corinne! Please send me an email to candace at wwhi dot org and we'll get you set up with your free necklace! Thanks everyone for entering.

Corinne said...

I would choose the "hope" necklace. I think it's really cute and love the message.

APRIL 20, 2010 1:40 PM

We're hoping to do another give away soon, so check back for another chance to win!

P.S. Here for the first time? We are really jazzed about our Mother's Day Campaign--this necklace is one of the gifts you can give your mom for a donation to WWHI. Check it out!

KSL 5 Coverage of WWHI Mother's Day Campaign

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Giving on Faith

By Carri Hulet

My voluntary job with WWHI is to raise money. We need it, and someone's gotta do it, so I'm thankful for a truly amazing group of volunteers that have rallied to make it happen. But it's hard at first. We are getting off the ground and I freely admit that I dream of the day when we will have years of evidence and experience behind us to show that WWHI's efforts actually do decrease maternal mortality in the most dire circumstances. I know that will happen, and someday we will have to do less begging and cajoling, less "leveraging" of friendships, and with any luck we will have more to offer our supporters than the proverbial warm fuzzies and a virtual bear hug.

Perhaps. Perhaps there will be some things that get easier. But even as I play out my fantasies of fatter times ahead, I can't help but be grateful for the privilege of being one of the first to ask when the giver has no less noble motivation than sheer generosity and kindness. When we ask someone to help us do something we can't prove we will do, the offering in return is nothing short of sacred.

Today, we feel the weight of every donated coin; the sacrifice of every volunteer hour. As we plan out our research efforts this summer, then look ahead in the future to building a school, recruiting trainers, and educating and supporting the student practitioners, we feel bound to spend every dollar in a way that does honor to the hope with which it was given.

In a way, I feel our donors are showing the same kind of faith and confidence in us that every mother shows as she invests early in the potential of her children. Thanks moms. And thanks donors. We'll do you proud.

WWHI Donate...

By now many of you realize the Women's World Health Initiative has launched a Mother's Day campaign to help bring awareness and raise money for our cause as well as provide the opportunity to give your mother a thoughtful gift this Mother's Day. For those of you not in the know about this special campaign I suggest you check our http://www.wwhi.org to learn more. If you have any questions about donating or how you can support WWHI email info@wwhi.org.

Societal Integration

Paternalism has become a "vogue" word within the nonprofit world. In the nonprofit setting, paternalism is always used when describing people from a wealthy, familiar culture, making decisions of what is right or good for another people or culture. This is always a difficult balance for organizations that are run by people who care and want to help, but forget to ask the stakeholders (those for whom the initiative is intended to help) what it is that they need/want. This integration of stakeholder needs with providers' resources is what ensures sustainability and change.

Women's World Health Initiative is determined to facilitate, not drive, change in vulnerable communities. Later this year, we will be taking a group of committed individuals to meet with, survey, inquire of, observe, and learn from intended stakeholders (mothers and children and families). We will thoroughly research birthing practices, beliefs related to death and disease, current healthcare practices, religious motivations etc. All the aspects of our society here that motivate us, is not any different or less important to communities in Senegal.

Sustainability and motivation for change is achieved by mutual respect and acknowledgement of autonomy. Communities are the means of change. WWHI is the means of support. Help us to continue these sustainable models of improvement by becoming a supporter of our efforts.

A Give Away

How would you like this pretty little thing?How would you like to give this to your mom for mother's day?
How would you like to give this pretty little thing to your mom for mothers day AND at the same time help save the life of a mother across the world?

It sounds like a fantastic idea to the WWHI team...which is why we are doing a special Mother's Day campaign where you can give a donation to WWHI in honor of your mother, and we will mail her a gift of your choice--you can choose this necklace from PrettyLittleMe or there are many other options. A card with the gift explains your donation and your gift to her this Mother's Day. Yep, it's pretty much a recipe to a worry-free, feel-good gift.

Well, we'd like to give you a little incentive just to check out what your mom could be getting this year...and we're going to bribe you by giving away one of these necklaces for free! How would you like to win this necklace?? Here's how you become eligible:

1-Visit wwhi.org and look at the classy, hip and sweet gifts we are offering to send your mothers.

2- Leave a comment on this post by Wednesday, April 21st, saying which gift you would choose for your own mother, sister or woman in your life. The winner of the necklace will be randomly selected and announced the following day.

Mothers--They are worth it!

Miriam's Story.

Why is Women's World Health Initiative needed? The answer? Because of a girl named, Miriam.

Miriam is a 13 year old girl who was married as the third wife to a much older man. She is pregnant. She is malnourished and has had several bouts of malaria that she barely survived. She starts to labour and is left alone to give birth. For 5 days she suffers, but her pelvis, because of her young age and malnutrition, is too small to allow the baby to pass through the canal. After 5 days of excruciating pain and exhaustion, she and the baby both die, alone.

Miriam's story is heard and replicated among thousands of young women throughout the world. For every girl/woman who dies every minute during childbirth, another 20 suffer from debilitating injury from complications. We can not continue to stand by while others needlessly suffer. We can help. You can help!

Giving Back to your Mom

Have you decided what you're getting your mother for Mother's Day? Here at WWHI, mothers have a special place in our heart. We wanted to help you do something special for your mother, and other mothers around the world.

If your mom likes chocolate, nuts, jewelry or flowers, and you think she'd appreciate a donation to WWHI in her honor, stay tuned for more details! Our Mother's Day Campaign is about giving to your mother, and helping another.

National Women's Health Week

While Women's World Health Initiative is raising awareness and funds on behalf of women across the world, we recognize that every woman--living in rural Africa or urban California--deserves to be healthy.

National Women's Health Week is a week-long health observance happening one month from now. It's coordinated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women's Health (OWH). National Women’s Health Week empowers women to make their health a top priority.

OWH is encouraging women to make appointments with their doctors and take small steps to becoming healthier...like answering questions like these: Do you know how often you should get your blood pressure checked? How about when you should get your next tetanus shot? Mammogram? Pap test? Check this chart out from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to find out what type of health checkups you and your loved ones need, and get a head start on National Women's Heatlh Week--and your path to good health!

How Womens World Health Initiative Began

Women’s World Health Initiative’s Founder, Dana Allison, has always been active in informing herself about and defending women’s rights. After studying and observing the devastating effects a community feels when a mother dies unnecessarily during childbirth, Dana began researching effective strategies to make an impact.

Her research led her to the understand that there were correlated risk factors that increased chances for a mother to die during childbirth; developing countries, rural communities, uneducated populations, early marriage, lack of trained birth attendants, and others.

After meeting with and traveling to his country, Senegal, Dr. Youssoupha Ndiaye and Dana collaboratively developed a plan to decrease maternal and infant mortality rates in rural Senegal. Today, WWHI continues to collaborate with other Senegalese physicians, such as Dr. Aziz Kasse, by developing and innovating in simple early detection methods to save the lives of women, and foster community growth.

This blog is a place for us to discuss relevant statistics about women's rights, child-bearing and challenged rural communities, learn from other non profits and organizations making a difference in the world, and hopefully help further our own cause and raise funds.