By Elizabeth Grezda | Executive Director
Happy New Year! Gëzuar Vitin e ri!
We are so grateful that we have a beautiful community of supporters who give generously and from your heart.
You know how important supporting new parents is, and you understand that your generosity can sustain this support!
Did you know that MamiCare has the longest-running prenatal classes in Albania, and the only ones on offer?
There have been many efforts starting for a couple months and then stopping for some reason, but we are so thankful to you, our supporters who believed in us, supported us and can celebrate this achievement with us!
One really wonderful thing I have noticed over 5 years is that more and more fathers are coming along to the classes and loving taking part. For these parents to have an activity to bond over in the preparation for birth is priceless. Last night was the first class which had every single dad show up - and on a work night too.
We observe that the classes help the couple to be on the same page and learn together in an active and fun way, as well as address the concerns and fears they have among fellow expectant parents, guided by medical professionals.
Did you know that most new mothers in Albania really want to breast feed, but many of them don't get the support they need?
MamiCare's home visiting service has helped new mothers with problems they are facing breastfeeding, whether it be a baby who is refusing, a baby who isn't positioned well, or painful blocked ducts or mastitis. Our midwife takes the most difficult cases and finds solutions for these mothers in their moments of crisis.
One of the mothers we helped in the last quarter was a mother who gave birth prematurely, and whose baby needed extra special care and help interfacing with further care for jaundice. I got to go to the visit to help translate if needed as this mama is American, and I got to see Esmeralda calmly working with the mama and the baby, noticing the details and explaining everything to the parents.
Did you know that one of the biggest challenges we have is traffic when going to a home visit?
Travel across town to visit a mother can take up to an hour, and some mothers live outside of Tirana in the suburbs. We have found a wonderful solution to this in the first uber-like ride service. Our midwife is able to plan visits very well, knowing ahead both the time it will take and the cost. This has transformed our work!
A new look and a new home for MamiCare?
We are dreaming a little now, hoping that we will see a home for MamiCare become a reality. We are actively fundraising and looking for a space to call home, where we can offer many more prenatal classes, have a home for our gear, and work collaboratively as a team in a focused way. We feel this could enhance our identity and productivity by a lot, but it will be a step of faith and we are grateful for your continued support as we weigh our options going forward.
Since October, we have found a new look that has created more engagement with potential customers. We provide education and inform mothers about our services through the instagram channel.
We are so grateful for each one of you and wish you a healthy and prosperous new year. Feel free to write us. We love to hear from you!
Gratefully yours,
Elizabeth Grezda
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By Elizabeth Grezda | Executive Director
By Elizabeth Grezda | Executive Director
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