Volunteers work to save the mothers
TORONTO, ON—"It takes a village to raise a child," the old saying goes. You could say it takes as many to save the life of a mother.
Canadian doctor Jean Chamberlain Froese caught the vision for Save the Mothers (STM)—an organization fighting to change society to save the lives of mothers in the developing world—when she was confronted with the great needs of mothers in Uganda.
Along with her Ugandan colleagues, she founded STM in 2005 and since then has worked to develop comprehensive educational programs focused on maternal health. Recently the organization launched its Mother Friendly Hospital Initiative, a program that links STM graduates to existing health facilities, ensuring higher standards of care and accountability for women and children.
Since STM's founding hundreds of ordinary Canadians have also joined Chamberlain Froese to grow the organization at a grassroots level.
Dena Thomas of Waterdown, Ontario is one. A wife and mother of three young adult children, she first connected with Save the Mothers in Uganda, while on a mission trip with a group from her church. She went back for an eight-month term to volunteer with STM as an administrative coordinator the following year.
"It was kind of a God thing," she says. With a background in health sciences, Thomas saw how STM was building a network of local leaders in Africa to create the sustainable social change needed to improve maternal health. Some 800 women die of pregnancy-related complications every day, 99 per cent of them in the developing world. These are preventable deaths. Thomas was determined to become involved.
"It was obviously a huge step for our family to take," she says. Her husband and youngest daughter remained in Canada while she went overseas. Her two oldest children were living away at university. "But we really believe in this organization and in what Jean is trying to do. My going over there to serve, was something we could offer as a family."
For Jennifer Griffiths and her 12-year-old daughter Abby, volunteering for STM is also a family affair. The two helped organize a Mother's Day walk last year through their Toronto church, raising funds and awareness for STM.
"We made posters, and raised money online," says Abby. "It was pretty fun. It made me feel encouraged, because not enough is being done [to save the lives of mothers in the developing world]."
While Griffiths today serves on the board of the organization, her involvement began when her own mother, Christine, introduced her to the work of STM in 2008.
"My life has been enriched in so many ways," she says. "This has been an amazing gift, to be able to engage in this work and teach my daughters about maternal health at the same time."
At 28, Heather Wing is young and single. But she, too, is passionate about volunteering with STM. She began fundraising and building awareness for the organization in 2008. Today, she estimates she contributes about 40 hours each month, "just trying to get the message out."
"The world is a much smaller place than we realize," she reflects. "And the issues are a lot closer to us than we know. It's not complicated to create change, in whatever capacity you have. You just have to be passionate. Other people will come alongside and you'll find you can help to create change you never could have imagined."
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