GlobalGiving.org: Stop South Sudanese Moms from Dying in Childbirth

Thank You for Your Support!

William Logai Ochieng — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:27:31 GMT

Mss Akello Susan

I’m Akello Susan, a new Field Coordinator. I will be sending you project updates from the ground throughout 2012. Read more

Hope Ofiriha would like to thank our donors for your ongoing support. Because of your generosity, we are operating 14 small scale projects in South Sudan and Uganda.

As we head to a new year, we ask that you please keep Hope Ofiriha in mind for year-end donations. We’re currently raising money to fund a clean water hand pump and Mairo School building projects that will benefits children in Omilling. Whether your giving is influenced by the spirit of the season giving, tax planning or a desire to contribute to a great cause, your gift will make a tremendous difference in the lives of those who will benefit from these projects.

By making your year-end donation to Hope Ofiriha via the “Donate Now” button on our GlobalGiving page, you can help us fight extreme poverty.

We wish you a Happy New Year from Hope Ofiriha!

Happy Thanksgiving from Hope Ofiriha

William Logai Ochieng — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:36:34 GMT

Marta Ikai, a beneficiary living in Omilling

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the United States and around the world!

Hope Ofiriha wishes to send a most sincere thank you to all our supporters, donors, child Sponsor, partners, volunteers, and everyone else playing a role in our success. Together, we are making a huge difference in the lives of South Sudanese women and children struggling to rebuild a better future for themselves, their families, and their community.

Enjoy this special day of Thanksgiving and remember that we could not do this work without all the ways you help us. We’re so thankful for everything you do!

Why women still die to give birth.

Mr.William Logai Ochieng — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:09:46 GMT

Anne Martins is a village midwife in Onura

Giving birth can be fatal for women in Onura.

Ms. Anne Martins only village midwife is granted a scholarship to study in Uganda. Ms. Anne says; thanks America! Thanks the World! Thanks to GlobalGiving! Your Gifts will stop moms and their children from dying in childbirth.

Local campaigners argue that these deaths are both preventable and have repercussions that go far beyond woman’s immediate family and the community.

We know exactly what needs to be done to save women’s lives, said Dr. Robert Lokong, head of Onura Maternal Survival Project.

The leading killers during childbirth include massive blood loss, high blood pressure, an untreated infection and obstructed labour – where the woman’s body is still too small for the baby to pass through the birth canal. But the most important reason has been lack of delivery facilities.

But the reasons why these issues have not been tackled are political, rather than medical. The first and most important reason is a social issue: the low status of women. Leaders do not see the lives and health of women as a political priority, they invest in others sectors.

Onura women most at risk, most marginalized, vulnerable, and living in harsh conditions with underdeveloped health systems in post conflict situations.

Three hundred in 300 women lack access to a trained midwife in Onura. The three basic interventions are: family planning to begin with, a qualified birth attendant present at the birth supported by delivery facilities, and access to obstetric care if there are complications during birth, Dr. Robert said.

Hope Ofiriha will supply Onura Maternal survival health post with the childbirth delivery facilities.The project will also fund mid-wife college education.

In the next 3 months new updates will be posted, and we also will report on how your contributions are impacting the lives of women and their new babies at Onura.

Links:

Baby Shower Miracle

Mr.William Logai Ochieng — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:30:33 GMT

William Ochieng - Executive Director

UPDATE: Due to the overwhelming support of GlobalGiving’s donors, we’ve raised our funding goal to $10,993 to save even more mothers and babies.

I am over joyed to report that GlobalGiving’s participation in our rally to throw a baby shower for our Onura clinic in South Sudan has raised nearly over $9,533 so far in less than a week.

Our Onura Maternal Survival Project has gone from being one of our least supported projects on GlobalGiving to being fully funded (between May 2010 and last Monday July 18, donors had only given $840).

The donated money will buy 6 delivery beds and kits to cover six villages. The delivery facilities will save the lives of hundreds of mothers and babies (right now, one in five mothers in Onura die in childbirth). It also will fund the training of midwives to deal with childbirth complications. Any additional money will be used to buy the maternity pads, sterile gowns, gloves, and birthing mats.

Thank you GlobalGiving! Thank you Global Giving donors! Thanks to the world to stand behind the Onura women!

In the next 3 months new updates will be posted, and we also will report on how your contributions are impacting the lives of women and their new babies at Onura.

Links:

Recurring Donation Campaign & Field project report

Ms Linda Acen Abili — Thu, 05 May 2011 18:24:06 GMT

Women Onura village south Sudan

Why do so many women still die in pregnancy or childbirth?

Every minute, at least one woman dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth – that means 529 000 women a year. In addition, for every woman who dies in childbirth, around 20 more suffer injury, infection or disease – approximately 10 million women each year. (WHO).

In Onura village there are direct two factors that accounts for maternal deaths: lack of “childbirth delivery bed”, and delivery kits. These are fundamentally responsible.

Women need not die in childbirth. We must give a young woman the information and support she needs to control her reproductive health, help her through a pregnancy, and care for her and her newborn well into childhood. The vast majority of maternal deaths could be prevented if women in Onura village have access to childbirth delivery bed, skilled care during pregnancy, and after first month after delivery.

Jennifer Leo has given birth to a baby after a long labour. With your help Hope Ofiriha provided the syringes, sterile gowns, gloves, and 2 maternity pads that assisted in the delivery process. There are two girls who are expecting to give births in Onura village. They too, need help to give birth safely.

Quotes from Jennifer Leo:
We need a childbirth delivery bed, and a set of delivery kits. When we have these facilities women will not be dying in childbirth. Please help!

But we are facing the challenges of raising money to help more women. We are looking for 10 people to sign up for recurring monthly donation. We ask you to sign for $10 – only. Having $10 from 10 different people each month is better than 10 people donating $1200 in December as a Christmas gift as one time donation. $10 – each month is a lot of money and can help mothers in Onura village, South Sudan. In charity there are no big or small amounts. Each cent counts!

Thanks to our donors! Thanks to GlobalGiving! Thanks for helping Jennifer Leo! Without your help we would have not been in this position to help in Onura village.

In next 3 months we will post the new project updated, and also to tell how your contributions are impacting the lives of women and their babies. Hope Ofiriha appreciates partnering with you and hopes we will continue to team together until the goal of this project is achieved.

GlobalGiving is giving away $12,000 in bonus awards during this campaign!

Here are the main reasons why you should consider signing up for monthly recurring donations to help Hope Ofiriha;

The top 20 projects that receive the most new unique recurring donors will each be awarded a $500 bonus.
One project that raises the highest donation amount per month from recurring donations will be awarded $1,000.
One project that attracts the most new unique recurring donors will be awarded an additional $1,000 (for a total of $1,500!).

Projects must have at least 10 new unique recurring donors to be eligible for bonus awards

The final results of this campaign will be adjudicated in August 2011. Bonuses will be awarded based on the amount raised and the number of unique recurring donors at this time. In some cases, projects may forfeit bonus awards if donors cancel their recurring donations before the awards are given.

Links:

We need childbirth delivery bed and delivery set kits

Ms Linda Acen Abili — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 22:02:56 GMT

jennifer Leo - expecting a baby

Jennifer Leo, 18, is expecting to give birth and needs help to get basic items during delivery.

On 08- Feb - 2011 president Omer al-Bashir, issued a republican decree accepting the final results of referendum, which supports the separation of the South into an independent state. North and South Sudan are presently engaged in talks to resolve the sensitive issues, which includes sharing of oil revenues, demarcation of boarders, and the contested oil-rich Abyei region.

2011 has many challenges for the people of southern Sudan. In Omilling, poverty, and diseases continues to threaten the villagers. But women are strong and hopeful, and are working hard to overcome these challenges. Hope Ofiriha sees it every day from the ground. You can help Southern Sudanese, particularly women and children, to create a better future for themselves and their families with a contribution to ALL through GlobalGiving.

Poor education among women and lack of access to health facilities in a post war –torn Omilling village has increased risks surrounding child birth - due to lack of delivery bed, and delivery kits.

Home delivery and hospital maternity is not the same; when women deliver at home some local traditional midwives use unclean knives, increasing the risk of death even in cases where the process gets completed successful.

According to our local statistics here, 10 women die per 200 births in Omilling village. These women have a lifetime risk of dying in childbirth of 1 in 20.

Dr. Lokong said: “I have come across several village women who have each had more than eight deliveries at home due to lack of health facilities. In many of the cases the children delivered die. Most pregnant young girls believe in traditional birth delivery, not knowing it may not always be safe. This is made worse when a maternity centre is not available locally.”

Dr. Lokong cited the risks of home –based delivery: excess bleeding, the placenta failing to descend, and disease transmission through handling contaminated blood. To stop women from dying in child birth they need a delivery bed, and delivery kits. “This is the best solution in this village.”

Hope Ofiriha has been supplying basic items which assist women during child delivery such as: syringes needles, sterile gowns, gloves and maternity pads. To continue to help more women Hope Ofiriha needs ongoing funding from the donors.

We thanks you for the supports in 2010 and we look forward in working with you in years to come until the goal of this project has been fully met.

Thanks for joing hands with Hope ofiriha!

Links:

"Happy ThanksGiving Holiday"

Linda Acen Abili — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:09:04 GMT

We need your help to support expectant mothers

In south Sudan a staggering number of women die in child birth. Dr. Lokang discovers by providing a child birth delivery bed will wipe out this problem in ONURA healthcare post - rural settlement.

Children in Onura settlement are born without the assistance of a trained health specialist. They rely instead on traditional birth attendants. They get summoned at the last minute when it is too late to make a journey to the Onura healthcare post.

But they are not medically trained and their "labour suite" is a spartan mud hut with a mat on the floor for a bed. They deliver about two –to- three babies a month. Nevertheless, they admit it is far from ideal.

The main problem is that the community here doesn't have the money to hire a car to get to the nearest government run hospital.

With funding from our donors, Hope Ofiriha provided Onura healthcare post with two maternity pads, and cotton wool to assist expectant mothers during child birth.

We thank our Globalgiving donors for their ongoing support and Hope Ofiriha looks forward in working with you in 2011- and years to come.

The staff of Hope ofiriha and volunteers wishes you a Happy Thanksgiving Holiday season, to your family, friends, and colleagues at dinner table!

September report

Linda Acen — Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:58:19 GMT

Onura local Maternity unit Sudan

There are new concerns for the 11 pregnant women now living in Omilling rural area Sudan. 6 of these are expected to give birth this month without childbirth delivery facilities.

Women here are giving birth under the absolute worst condition, says the local doctor, volunteering at the village healthcare post. They can’t find access to midwives. Little problems become big problems.

A woman, 27, is nine months into her pregnancy. She lost her last baby, a son, in childbirth two years ago due to lack of the delivery facilities. This time, she will have only the help of her family if complications arise…” She has no access to medical doctor to monitor her pregnancy on monthly basis.

-- Ayaa lay on her back in the dusty turkul maternity post, crying out in pain and clenching her older sister's hand. She was about to give birth to triplets. Two days earlier, the mad walls of turkul maternity post had collapsed around her. Now, there was no place to deliver her babies -- only the house made from grass and bed linens where she and her family were sleeping. ``Please, God,'' she prayed. ``Let my babies live.''

Ayaa is among the hundreds of Sudanese women who have gone into labor without delivery facilities. Many, like Ayaa, are giving birth in the turkul maternity post without medicines, and delivery tools. The women have almost no privacy, and doctors and midwives are scarce. Extreme poverty is everywhere in Omilling rural community Sudan.

The local women in Omilling rural areas really need childbirth delivery bed to spare the life of mothers and their babies. But they cannot get this without your support. Hope Ofiriha is campaigning really hard to get the funding so that these facilities are delivered to the community.

With $100 donated by our GlobalGiving donors, Hope Ofiriha purchased 10 set-kits and given this to the health post which were used to help mothers under childbirth.

We are expecting our GlobalGiving donors to partner with us until the goal of this project is fully achieve. In every three months we will be posting progress report to keep you inform of the progress we are making to improve women’s conditions in rural communities of Omilling Sudan.

Thanks for ongoing support!

First progress report - June 16 Matching Day!

Linda Acen — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 09:56:32 GMT

Omilling Local maternity unit Sudan

In the local health post the delivery unit is lacking the facilities for mothers to give birth safely. In most serious cases women have no options but to die during child birth. Because conditions under which they give birth is 100% risky, no ambulance and government run healthcare centre is 50 km away.

Quote from a beneficiary: as pregnant woman I feel I am sentenced to dead because I don’t know if I will come back to my family during child birth.

On June 16 2010 GlobalGiving will be matching at 50% all online donations up to 1,000 per donor per project! This campaign runs between 12:00 am and 11:59 pm EST (GMT-4).

In addition to the 50% match, GlobalGiving will be offering a $1,000 bonus to the project that raises the most funds that same day a $1,000 bonus to the project that receives donations from most individual donors!

We are encouraging you to make a donation on June 16 to take this opportunity of the matching funds in order to help Sudanese women getting a child birth delivery bed - and finally get them out of extreme poverty and live a healthier life.

Thanks for your ongoing support!