Leaving nobody behind

THERE are many obstacles to trying to improve health outcomes for pregnant women and their babies in one of the world’s poorer countries, but one of them comes from a surprising source.

“Sometimes women are also oppressors of other women,” says Jeanne Kamara, Christian Aid’s country director for Sierra Leone. “So for example, in terms of maternal and child health, decision-making is often in the hands of the mother-in-law. So if the mother-in-law says ‘I had all my sons at home with a traditional birth attendant from down the road’, who are you to say you want to go to hospital?” The response to this, Jeanne says, has been to incorporate the traditional birth attendants into the formal health service.

“They’re not delivering babies any more, but their skills are being used in terms of outreach work. I think it’s changing the thinking and the minds of the birth attendants, and getting them to play a different role in convincing pregnant women to use the health service.” This is just one aspect of the Ellis-Hadwin Legacy, a three-year, £2.9m programme to improve health and gender equality in Burundi, South Sudan and Sierra Leone.

Jeanne says they have identified 22 communities in Sierra Leone and are working at improving the choices and opportunities for women, making sure they are able to access health services, make choices and have a voice in their homes and communities. But, she emphasises, it’s not only women who benefit. “‘Leaving nobody behind’ is a key part of the (United Nations’) sustainable development goals, so we are also working with men, and men are part of the community groups.

“And this is really interesting as it tackles structural, cultural and social issues around roles in households and communities – working with men to ensure they do their fair share of housework and childcare. And the women are more empowered, but the men also feel their homes are happier. There’s less GBV [gender-based violence] and everyone is less stressed.

“Women are telling us they are better able to support their families and look after their kids – until their own mothers are visiting. So there’s an intergenerational thing as well as a gender thing.”

Jeanne visited Scotland in March, speaking to Christian Aid supporters and attending a series of gatherings around the country. She says that conditions in the west African nation are still fragile, with one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world – ten women dying in childbirth every day, and one in nine children don’t live to their fifth birthday.

The situation is not helped by 2014’s ebola outbreak, which killed around 10 per cent of the country’s healthcare workers, climate change which is affecting agricultural yields and fish stocks; and weak institutions still recovering from the country’s long civil war. “There is peace in the sense of an absence of war, but the challenges still include some of the factors that led to conflict,” she adds.

One of the other challenges is widespread youth unemployment. Jeanne says: “About 60 per cent of the population is under 35, and there is a huge number of people not in education, training or employment. That’s a recipe for disaster. “A lot of agencies are doing work around that, and we were able to do a programme where we worked in partnership with other agencies to give young people life skills, to teach mid-level mechanical skills, such as electricians and carpenters. We are also working on mindsets, helping people get together to review where they are and what they want, and to have a dream, a vision and ownership of their future.”

The campaign for this year’s Christian Aid Week (May 12-18) focuses on Sierra Leone, which the organisation describes as ‘the world’s most dangerous country to give birth’. Christian Aid is helping communities build their own health clinics and is delivering health training and helping improve hygiene.

Senior Programme Officer for Health Projects, Joanna Tom-Kargbo from Christian Aid’s Sierra Leone office said: “We work so that communities and women can claim their voice and bring about change in their lives.

“It is inspiring for me to go out to rural communities and see how, as a result of Christian Aid support, villagers are realising what they can achieve and are showing other communities what can be done. “Together we are not only rebuilding health centres and improving hygiene and medical training, but we are giving hope to communities and all those expectant mums who have lived with such fear.

“I so often think of the feeding of the five thousand, when people put together what they had, those loaves and fishes kept multiplying and people’s needs were met. Christian Aid supporters give, act and pray and those ripples stretch right out to remote communities to the most vulnerable people and lives are saved and changed.”

Head of Christian Aid Scotland Sally Foster Fulton said: “Across Scotland, over 1000 churches will be taking part in Christian Aid Week, celebrating the potential to change the world through solidarity, generosity and positive action. Please join us this May in any way you can whether it’s cooking up a Big Brekkie, taking part in a sponsored walk, houseto- house or organising a coffee morning or bake sale. Together, we have the power to change lives.”

Church resources, more information and the opportunity to donate can be found at www.caweek.org

Edinburgh’s three Christian Aid Week book sales are all gearing up for their usual busy week.

The sale and St Andrew’s and St George’s West Church, now 46 years old and believed to be the largest sale of its kind in the UK, has raised over £1 million in the last decade alone. This year’s patron will be the journalist and TV presenter Kirsty Wark. Books, paintings, antiques, music and toys can all be brought to the church from April 29 – May 8 (except Sunday May 5) and the sale will run from May 11-17 (except Sunday May 12), open from 10am and closing at 3.30pm except Saturday (4pm) and Thursday (7pm).

The other long-established book sale, the ‘Holy Corner’ event at Morningside United Church, this year includes a Sunday afternoon opening. Last year’s sale raised more than £15,000. This year’s opening hours are: Saturday 12 May, 10am – 5pm; Sunday 13 May, 1.30 – 4.30pm; Monday 14 – Friday 18 May, 11am – 6pm; Saturday 19 May, 10am – 5pm.

The city’s newest sale, at the City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, differs from the other two events in including a series of speakers and events, which it dubs ‘Edinburgh’s smallest book festival’. This year’s speakers include prominent Church of Scotland minister the Rev Dr Richard Frazer, and journalist and writer (and former editor of Life and Work) Rosemary Goring. The sale is open throughout Christian Aid Week (May 11-17), for the full timetable of events visit: https://christianaidbooksedinburgh.wordpress.com