World's largest refugee camp shelters families fleeing famine in conflict-torn Somalia
By Kari Costanza and Kenneth Kibet. Edited by Elisa Casey, World Vision U.S.
Mariam sits among other weary famine survivors at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya, surrounded by her three sons.
Her littlest child coughs in her lap. Flies are everywhere. They land on her sleeping child.
"It took nine days to get here," she says. "We came because of the hunger and the drought."
The family came from Baidhabo in Somalia. They have been in the Dadaab refugee camp for two months.
400,000 refugees and growing
Dadaab recently set a new record after registering its 400,000th refugee. And people are still coming -- as many as 1,500 per day. There is now a backlog to register new refugees.
Many wait anxiously for months to be registered. It is critical to their survival. Once they are registered, they are given food rations.
'They are here because of famine'
Ninety-two percent of the refugees in Dadaab are Somalis. The rest of the population comes from Ethiopia, Sudan, Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Burundi.
The prolonged drought is behind the large exodus, says Aaron from the Department of Refugee Affairs.
"The reason they are leaving Somalia is food," he says. "Seventy percent of the people coming say they are here because of famine -- not war."
Most of the refugees arrive with nothing. "There are a lot of people that need help. Real help," Aaron laments.
Mariam's story
After two months in Dadaab, Mariam and her family are still waiting to be registered as refugees in Kenya.
"We exhausted everything there [in Somalia]," she says. "There was no more to eat. The children asked for milk and for water." But, she had nothing to give them.
"We're waiting for our registration card. We will get the rations and treat the children. They are sick," Mariam explains.
Mariam and her family may be here for a very long time.
'There was no food in sight'
Mariam sits and waits with another mother and widow, Awliya. The two women traveled from Baidhabo together. Awliya's journey to Kenya began the day her family ran out of food. Like Mariam, she has three sons.
"There was no food in sight," she says. "The drought didn't stop. We decided to leave."
Awliya's son, Mohamud, 15, is hopeful about his future in Kenya.
"In Kenya, my life will change. I hope I will get an education here in Kenya," he says. "I have never been to a school. I want to be educated like other people."
'I am hungry -- but there is peace'
Though relieved to have made it to Kenya, the family remembers their dangerous and difficult journey from Somalia.
"The first day into the journey, bandits stopped our vehicles, robbed us, and beat the men," says Awliya.
Mohamud continues, "They took everything we had. I was afraid. They were shooting their guns into the air."
He adds quietly that several women were raped.
"I am happy to be here. We will find peace here. In Somalia, there was no peace. I am hungry -- but there is peace," expresses Mohamud.
Ways you can help
Pray that Mariam and Awliya will soon receive food rations and medical attention. Pray for the 400,000 people already in Dadaab and for those arriving daily, that they would soon feel relief.
Make a one-time gift to World Vision's Horn of Africa Food Crisis Fund. Your donation will help provide emergency food and care to children and families suffering from hunger and malnutrition, as the worst drought in 60 years rages on.
Give monthly to provide support to children affected by hunger. Your monthly contribution will help us deliver assistance like food aid, agricultural training, and more.
Sponsor a child in East Africa. Your love and support of a boy or girl in need will help provide essentials like nutritious food.
Mosquito nets end the nightmare of malaria
By Michael Czobit. Edited by Elisa Casey, World Vision U.S. Photos by Michelle Siu.
Young children at risk
Malaria is a common problem in the community where Calvin and his family live in Zimbabwe. Around the world, malaria is a leading cause of death for children under the age of 5, and threatens over half of the world's population. However, 90 percent of malaria-related deaths occur in Africa, in communities like the one where Calvin lives.
Calvin's grandmother, Cecilia Zulu, 52, has reared and cares for her six grandchildren, all of whom are orphans and have had malaria.
Her main fear is that her family would be affected by a more serious case of the disease. "Sometimes if malaria gets to advanced stages, it affects the brain -- cerebral malaria," she explains.
'I was scared of death'
Cecilia was not alone in her fears. Calvin became terrified of the disease after a close neighborhood friend died in 2009. Ted, also a schoolmate, succumbed to the illness at the young age of 8.
Calvin's fear of malaria was more than the dread of getting sick and missing an important lesson in school.
"I was scared of death," admits Calvin.
Symptoms of malaria
In the same year that Ted died, Calvin faced two episodes of malaria. The disease caused a high fever and vomiting.
"I felt hot and cold. My head was painful," Calvin explains.
Calvin's grandmother took him to the clinic for treatment both times he was ill with malaria. Getting there was not an easy task, because the family lacks a reliable source of transportation.
When they arrived at the clinic, Calvin was treated with medication. Cecilia says Calvin was seriously sick for the first three days of each illness, but his condition improved on the fourth day. He missed a week of school both times.
'The mosquitoes cannot bite me anymore'
World Vision helped Calvin and his family by providing them with a primary source of protection against malaria: mosquito nets. World Vision has distributed 7,000 mosquito nets to children in Calvin's community.
Calvin, who is now in fourth grade, dreams of becoming a policeman when he grows up. Since receiving his mosquito net, he hasn't had to miss a day of class due to malaria. In fact, he hasn't had the disease since he began sleeping under the protection of the net.
"The mosquitoes cannot bite me anymore when I'm under the mosquito net," Calvin says.
The nets the family received were an immense relief to their worry. "When they go to sleep in the night, they are protected," Cecilia says. "I am thankful for the mosquito nets."
These simple items have improved the health of the family, and Calvin doesn't have to fear bedtime anymore. Instead, he can dream about his future.
Four ways you can help
Pray that Calvin and his family would continue to be protected from deadly malaria, and pray for other children, families, and communities that are threatened by this disease around the world.
Make a one-time gift to help provide insecticide-treated bed nets. These bed nets keep away disease-carrying mosquitoes so that children and families can sleep without the fear of deadly malaria. Thanks to support from generous partners and government grants, your donation doubles in impact.
Sponsor a child in Zimbabwe. Your love and support for a boy or girl in need will help provide him or her with access to essentials like healthcare and disease prevention assistance.
Give monthly to help us fight malaria around the world. Your monthly gift will help provide bed nets, medical assistance, and more in communities where malaria is a threat.
Transforming schools, empowering students
By Heidi Isaza. Edited by Elisa Casey, World Vision U.S.
St. Mary's School is unassuming, even drab, in appearance -- just another two-story brick building, surrounded by a chain-link fence and a concrete play yard in East Los Angeles.
Everything changes, however, the minute you step inside.
Bright hallways -- lined with large bulletin boards covered with colorful art projects -- greet students, faculty, parents, and visitors alike, giving evidence of the life, energy, excitement, and learning happening here.
"Most everything in this school is from World Vision," says Sister Anna of St. Mary's School.
"Everything. We have tables, we have shelves, we have school supplies, that World Vision gave," she shares, unable to contain her emotion.
Now, students at this school have the resources they need to receive a quality education -- and the chance at a brighter future.
Resources equal real opportunities
Two years ago, Sister Anna heard about World Vision's warehouse, the teacher resource center, and the backpack program. Today, St. Mary's school is a different place.
"When you first walk in, you see the big difference," says Annette, a parent of a St. Mary's student.
Sister Anna affirms this. "When all of these changes were made, they [the students] came and told us, 'We have a new school.' They feel it's a new school because they have new things in their classroom."
Supplies to succeed
Not only do students now have a better environment in which to learn, they also have the supplies they need to be successful in their education.
Annette shares, "The other day, Raven came home and said, 'I have a project, but it's okay, I have everything. My teacher gave us everything, so we don't have to buy anything.'"
Thanks to the teacher resource center, parents like Annette can enjoy working on the projects with their kids instead of worrying about how they will pay for the additional supplies.
Pencils and paper equal potential
"It feels good that poverty or lack of income is not a reason for [the kids] not to succeed," says Gabriela, a teacher at St. Mary's.
The supplies that she and other teachers are able to provide students with -- combined with the creating of an engaging learning environment -- are making a difference.
"Kids just feel a lot more confident," she says.
Schools shaping tomorrow's society
For Sister Anna, school is about more than test scores and memorization. It's about cultivating the seed for society's future.
"I always believe that when the kids are happy, they learn better, and also when the kids learn a lot, they are better prepared for the future and are better members of society," says Sister Anna.
Today, the students of St. Mary's School are happy. They have big dreams, and now, they have the tools they need to succeed in school.
"At the end of the year, we see the difference," says Sister Anna. "That's why I am very, very grateful."
Two ways you can help
With the economy continuing to flounder, many children across the United States go to school without the supplies they need to succeed. Please pray for parents who struggle to provide their children with essential educational resources during these difficult times.
Make a one-time gift that multiplies to become $150 worth of school supplies for U.S. children. Your donation will help us ship and distribute school supplies donated by generous corporate partners, like books, art supplies, videos, educational games, sports equipment, and more.
Kenyan parents afraid to send children to school due to violent attacks
August 31, 2011
As children head back to class, many Kenyan parents in the country's North Rift Valley are hesitant to send their children to school due to violent attacks on schools.
Ongoing community conflict is causing serious safety issues for students and threatening their health, as schools are often the only place to count on a nutritious meal during the current drought crisis.
Drought ignites conflict
Cyclical drought is a major reason behind this conflict, as communities clash over increasingly scarce pastureland and water sources. Cattle raids are rampant, and when livestock is stolen, there is no longer milk to feed children.
Families caught in the crossfire often flee to safer areas. This displacement can lead to a lack of educational opportunities for children, and consequently malnutrition, when they miss out on school feeding programs.
Schools threatened
"Strengthened efforts are needed to ensure schools are safe places," says Rose Tum, World Vision's peacebuilding coordinator in the North Rift region. "Some teachers have resorted to carrying firearms into classrooms for protection. Several schools have even dug defensive trenches so they can protect children from attacks."
World Vision recently surveyed parents in the North Rift communities where food shortages are a severe problem. Sixty-five percent of parents said they send their children to school to ensure they receive food, but many also expressed fear that their children may become targets.
Conflict, education, and child well-being connected
There are complex connections between conflict, education, and the well-being of children in Kenya. Fear of violence is just one factor that impacts school attendance, but grinding poverty also plays a major role. Girls are often married at a young age, and their education is then abandoned.
"Poorer families often can't afford to send their children to school due to the cost of uniforms or tuition fees, and so those who need a meal the most may not get one," says Tum.
During a crisis like the ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa, education is critical to long-term, sustainable development work in places like Kenya where World Vision is supporting communities through the construction of classrooms, professional development for teachers, and awareness programs to promote education and peacebuilding.
World Vision's response
World Vision started working in Kenya in 1974, and is currently responding to the drought emergency throughout the Horn of Africa with food aid, specialized health and nutrition programs, shelter, clean water, and sanitation services. The emergency response is operating in tandem with long-term development activities that include agricultural support for small farmers and veterinary care for livestock.
Three ways you can help
Pray for children and families in Kenya's North Rift Valley who are vulnerable to both violent conflict and hunger. Pray that children would be able to go to school safely and would receive the nourishment they need to thrive.
Make a one-time gift to our Horn of Africa Food Crisis Fund. Your donation will multiply five times to help provide emergency food, healthcare, and other critical assistance to this suffering part of the world.
Speak out. Urge our legislators to prioritize the needs of those suffering from hunger.
World Vision readies staff and supplies to respond to Hurricane Irene's effects
Updated August 29, 2011
As people in communities up and down the East Coast struggle to recover from the effects of Hurricane Irene, World Vision is preparing to deploy relief supplies to areas hit by the storm.
Prepositioned supplies and local partners
World Vision is preparing essential relief items like personal hygiene kits, cleaning supplies, clothing, shoes, and building materials, which are vital for recovery efforts. These supplies are prepositioned at our 56,000-square-foot domestic disaster response hub in Dallas.
Currently, World Vision staff members are reaching out to our network of community organizations, churches, and other partners in the region. The network, created after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005, will help distribute relief supplies and other brand-new items that companies donate to World Vision.
Ongoing relief to severe weather crises
"One of our biggest fears is that people are disaster-weary," says Phyllis Freeman, World Vision's director of U.S. emergency response, who is a veteran of our Hurricane Katrina response six years ago.
"From floods, to tornadoes, to hurricanes, this is the most severe weather season I have seen in the United States in my 14 years of doing disaster response."
World Vision teams continue providing ongoing assistance to tornado survivors in Alabama, Virginia, Minnesota, and Missouri. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and Joplin, Missouri, alone, World Vision has served more than 9,700 tornado survivors, including 1,000 children who recently received backpacks filled with school supplies.
World Vision works domestically through eight distribution facilities across the nation, each stocked with essentials ranging from clothing and personal care items to school, cleaning, and building supplies.
Pray for those who are recovering from the devastating effects of the storm.
Make a one-time donation to our U.S. Disaster Response Fund. Your gift will help us respond quickly and effectively to life-threatening emergencies right here in the United States.
For families fleeing drought, 5,000 new tents erected in world's largest refugee campÂ
August 18, 2011
Some 5,000 new tents are going up in the world's largest refugee camp, just as the region faces the possibility of heavy rains -- and the risk of flash floods -- despite months of dry weather.Â
Journey out of Somalia
Baaf Guled, 50, his wife, Mimino, and their six children are grateful to be moving into a tent after an arduous journey out of Somalia. He arrived in the Dadaab area two days ago after a 12-day walk from Mogadishu, Somalia's capital.
"We had nowhere to sleep, so we slept out at night under the stars," said Baaf Guled. "I was worried for my family because of the mosquitoes and malaria. We left Somalia because of the violence and hunger."
1,800 per day fleeing drought
In Kenya, the Dadaab complex sits on a windswept plateau close to the Somali border and houses 440,000 refugees. Most have fled drought at the rate of 1,800 per day -- either into Kenya or Ethiopia.
"Refugee families will be much better off once they are housed in these tents," says World Vision's shelter expert, Mike Pattison. "Thousands of women and children have faced the most daunting trek through dry land without food to escape famine in Somalia and get to the camp."
Tents provide protection
Provided through a partnership between World Vision and ShelterBox, a UK charity, the tents will also help protect the vulnerable from malaria, a potentially deadly disease for children and those weakened by malnourishment. They will also provide much-needed privacy for families living in the crowded camp, and protection from snakes.
"Dadaab is a dry, dusty desert camp overflowing with a sea of people," explains World Vision's emergency communications officer, Mindy Mizell. "There aren't enough tents for everyone moving in, so families are building their own makeshift homes out of sticks, blankets, and clothes. Having a tent is going to bring a huge improvement to people who are already in desperate straits."
However, the intervention will only cover 12 percent of the 40,000 tents required to meet demand.
'A huge improvement'
World Vision has already dispatched more than 2,500 tents to Dadaab and erected hundreds of them, ready for the arrival of the refugees who are moving in from transition areas around the vast complex.
The remaining 2,500 tents are en route by airlift and expected to arrive into Nairobi, where they will be driven 286 miles to the camp. We are working closely with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations' Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to establish this part of the camp.
World Vision also handed out 5,000 emergency kits that include blankets, mosquito nets, buckets, cooking utensils, and personal hygiene items.
Pray for children and families in the Dadaab camp. Thank God for the new shelters for some 5,000 families. Pray for more resources to assist the more than 40,000 families still in need of shelter around the camp.
World Vision scales up Horn of Africa crisis response
Updated August 10, 2011
World Vision is expanding efforts to assist children and families affected by hunger and malnutrition in the Horn of Africa, including the countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
Our team will establish a response center in the growing settlements for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Dolo Town, located in southern Somalia along the border with Ethiopia.
"Our World Vision assessment team visited Dolo last week and was struck by the extremely harsh conditions," says Mike Weickert, a director of humanitarian and emergency affairs at World Vision. "We saw children who were clearly malnourished and weakened from their long trek to escape the famine and political instability in other parts of southern Somalia."
Scenes of desperation
Weickert stressed the dire circumstances faced by many. "We met mothers who had delivered babies along the way, including one who had given birth on the hood of a car. Children are visibly ill and weak, and urgent action is necessary to ensure their survival."
The camp at Dolo Town is one of the largest transit facilities for those fleeing from violence and famine in other parts of south-central Somalia. A report by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) indicates that as many as 140,000 Somalis have passed through the area on their way to Ethiopia this year.
With several hundred refugees arriving each day, local aid agencies are finding it difficult to cope with the situation. Food, medicine, shelter, and sanitation are the most urgent needs that will only continue to grow as more IDPs flood into this area.
Our response
"During its initial assessment, World Vision distributed food supplies, including Plumpy'nutâ„¢, which is a peanut butter-like substance that is rich in vitamins and is used to treat children suffering from severe malnutrition," Weickert says.
"World Vision also delivered medical supplies and talked to local staff and district officials to determine how we could best provide assistance."
World Vision will run its Dolo response in coordination with local partner agencies, prioritizing the distribution of food, clean water, and sanitation programs for displaced people remaining in transit camps on the Somali side of the border. In the coming weeks, we aim to expand these relief activities into the Dolo refugee camps on the Ethiopian side of the border.
Our teams are currently staging relief operations in northern Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia. Dabaab camp in Kenya, located outside of Nairobi, is the world's largest refugee camp, currently hosting more than 400,000 Somalis.
Pray for children and families affected by this severe drought and the resulting food crisis. Pray that aid organizations like World Vision would gain access to those who need help the most.
Young man endures nine years of forced labor on a fishing boat
September 1, 2011
Story by Nila Douanesouvanh and Cat-Dan Lai-Smith. Photo by Thongxay Phavixay, World Vision
As a teenager in Thailand, Bounmy worked on a fishing boat for nine years with no pay. He and other boys were forced to work 20-hour workshifts. If they did not complete their work, they were beaten.
The horrors of slavery and prison ships often resonate from history lessons or stories of war. In fact, more Americans died as prisoners of war on British prison ships during the American War of Independence than the combination of those who died in battle.Â
What many people do not realize is that countless young people and children are still being imprisoned as victims of trafficking and forced labor.
A modern-day slave
Bounmy (not his real name), now 26, was a modern-day slave who survived nine harrowing years on a fishing boat off the coast of Thailand. Eating nothing other than fish for the duration of his ordeal, he was forced to work without pay around the clock, with only three to four hours of sleep a day.
The second-oldest son of nine children, Bounmy dropped out from school in fourth grade to help his parents look for food and to work in the rice fields. Once he turned 15, Bounmy and three other boys from his village left home in Laos’ Savannaket province to find work so they could send money back to their families.
"It was my first trip away from my village, and I was very nervous," Bounmy says. According to a World Vision report on human trafficking from Laos, approximately 80 percent of migrants cross the borders in search of better economic opportunities.
At sea for nine years
After four months of working with little or no pay in Bangkok, Thailand, Bounmy and another friend were told about the opportunity to work on a fishing boat.
"My friend said it was good pay. Before I went out on the boat, the employer told me I would get full payment after I came back with the boat," Bounmy says with sadness in his eyes.
Little did he know at the time that he would be forced to work without pay and not return to the Thai coast for nine years.
"If there was an emergency, they just called support from somewhere and docked the boat on [the] Malaysian coast," Bounmy explains. "When I got the opportunity I always told them that I missed my family and would like to return to Laos."
Meanwhile, Bounmy's family was left to imagine the worst. "I always went and asked other people in the village if my son had come back from Thailand. But no one had heard anything about him," says Nouseo, 49, Bounmy’s mother.  According to his father, Thongdy, 54, his family thought that he was dead because no one had seen him or knew where he was.
Some 44 percent of parents whose children had migrated to Thailand admitted that they don't know where their children were. Of young Lao people that returned home, 50 percent said their migration experience was terrible, 40 percent had been denied freedom of movement, and 13 percent had been sexually abused.
Arrested, jailed, then finally freed
In February 2010, the boat's engine broke and the boat was finally brought back to Thailand for repairs. Unfortunately, Bounmy was then arrested by the Thai police when the boat arrived back on the Thai coast, "They told me that I did not have any working documents or a passport," Bounmy says.
He was then detained in a Bangkok jail for nearly three months. Together with World Vision's Human Anti-Trafficking Project, the Laotian government rescued him and helped him to return safely to his home.
U.S. legislation to fight worldwide trafficking
Unlike the thousands of patriots who died on British prison ships, the United States can still rescue innocent young people, like Bounmy, who are being held captive on vessels today.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 is the cornerstone of U.S. policies against modern-day slavery. This act has provided comprehensive federal laws that support local and international anti-trafficking projects like the one that ultimately rescued Bounmy.
However, the TVPA must be renewed every few years, and the current version expires on September 30, 2011. Congress must introduce bipartisan legislation immediately so that there will be no gap in the fight to stop young people and children like Bounmy from being exploited and forced to work in traumatic conditions against their will.
'I do not want anyone to face the same misery that I did'
Now, every week, Bounmy retells his story publicly. "I do not want anyone to face the same misery that I did," he says. "I took a big risk by wanting to earn money in another country. I learned we can work in our own country with less pay, but be happy and safe."
Pray for children around the world who are being harmed by child labor practices. Pray for people trying to help these children and for a transformation of those who are forcing children into these roles. Pray that Congress would renew the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
Call your members of Congress to voice your support for the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act.
Give monthly to support children affected by trafficking and exploitation. Your monthly gift will help provide assistance like safe shelter, food, education, trauma recovery counseling, and more.
#FamineNoMore: Online campaign draws attention to drought in the Horn of Africa
August 29, 2011
Buzz is spreading across the social media sphere -- a buzz calling for help to end the drought and hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa.
Get the word out
World Vision and its friends and supporters have launched a social media campaign across the United States and in more than a dozen other countries to increase awareness and raise more funds for the devastating drought in East Africa.
Famine No More supporters are invited do several things, such as:
-- Skip a meal and donate $10 via text messaging (text FAMINE to 20222)
-- Display a Facebook profile badge or Twitter badge
-- Share infographics and aid worker videos
-- Pass on their own thoughts using the Twitter hashtag #FamineNoMore and campaign website FamineNoMore.org
-- Post banners to their blogs
Keep the conversation alive
"As we struggle to respond to the worst drought in 60 years, the influence and reach of our Facebook fans, Twitter followers, and blogger friends is greater and more critical than ever before," explains American aid worker Perry Mansfield, who is currently serving as World Vision's drought response director in Nairobi.
Mansfield says that it's crucial that we keep the conversation alive, as famine conditions are spreading in Somalia and the regional hunger crisis shows no immediate signs of easing.
"We hope to mobilize thousands more people to drive concern and action for the 12 million children and adults stalked by hunger and malnutrition in the Horn of Africa."
Social media's global reach
In the United States alone, we're mobilizing our 634,000 Facebook fans and 23,000 Twitter followers, reaching out to donors, youth activists, church supporters, advocacy networks, and child sponsors to join the online campaign.
Internationally, supporter networks in Canada, Mexico, the UK, Brazil, Spain, Romania, Ireland, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond have joined in the campaign to stand in solidarity and prayer with the children and families in the Horn of Africa.
"Simply seeing the images of starving children may not empower people to action," says Tara Gajadhar, World Vision's social media manager in the United States. "We want to help people connect to the issue and be able to do something that feels and is substantial -- including contributing, sharing information, and getting others to do the same. Social networking tools are key to empowering people of all ages to help tackle the first famine of this generation."
What you can do
Pray for the children and families suffering from this drought, and encourage your friends to join you though Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.
Visit www.FamineNoMore.org to get a badge or profile pic for your Facebook or Twitter account, view and share videos, make a donation, and more.
Visit us on Facebook and Twitter to see the activity surrounding this campaign and participate in the conversation.
Mother and child healthcare in the Philippines is improving
August 2011
Crislyn Felisilda. Edited by Chris Clouzet, World Vision U.S.
A loving mother of five, Rowena, 40, lives in Sarangani, an area in the Philippines where women commonly give birth to more than 10 children. This area also has a history of poor maternal and child care, meaning that some of the women and children do not survive childbirth.
Over the years, World Vision has partnered with the local health office to conduct training for mothers and provide medical equipment for the health facilities. These measures have helped to improve health awareness among mothers and increase the number of healthy children born in their communities.
Birth -- and death
Rowena gave birth to her five children at home through the help of a village healer. She recalls that her first delivery was difficult, painful, and bloody. Her second delivery was a bit complicated. The child, Sitti Hayla, now 15, almost died.
"I was crying aloud with fear of losing her," Rowena says. "Thank God she survived."
The village healer used leaves and other herbal mixes as a supplement to her delivery. "It's a cultural thing, but I realized that it isn't safe," Rowena says. "I'm thankful my Sitti and the rest of my kids still made it."
Two years ago, Rowena heard the loud cries of a friend who was giving birth. She also witnessed that friend's death.
A history of poor maternal and child care
"Before, most pregnant women in our community did not visit the health center for prenatal or postnatal care," Rowena says. "Moreover, when their children got sick, they only resorted to self-medication." She says this lack of prenatal care played a role in the children's poor health.
Jennifer Sapuiz, a World Vision health development staff member, explains the issue. "Inadequate primary healthcare and insufficient health services, coupled with socio-economic instability in poor regions ... all contribute to this bleak outlook for mothers and their infants," she says.
"[A] low level of competence among local health practitioners, as well as a lack of community awareness on health issues, result in significant complications of maternal and child health," Jennifer adds.
Empowering community health workers
World Vision is partnering with the local health office to conduct training to improve maternal and child healthcare, and to facilitate behavior change among mothers by providing health services at the village health centers.
The training focuses on community awareness for the prevention of maternal, newborn, and infant illnesses, improvement of community-based response, and an increase in the quality of services through capacity-building of first-level health providers.
World Vision also distributed pediatric equipment to the health facilities working on maternal and child health in Sarangani.
"The equipment that [was] provided by World Vision helped to reinforce health facilities, especially those located in rural areas, as they experience shortages of all types of equipment," says Jennifer.
Sharing the lessons
Rowena herself has become a World Vision community volunteer, regularly monitoring the children in her community. She has also become an advocate of providing care for women and children. Every week, Rowena gathers the mothers to discuss maternal and child care.
"More than half of the pregnant women in our community regularly attend 'buntis' [pregnant] class," says Rowena. "More mothers deliver babies in the health centers now." Jennifer says the number of women doing this is about 80 percent.
Rowena also discovered that the mothers-in-law of young women benefit from effective postnatal counseling sessions. "Once they understand the benefits, they encourage their daughters to visit the clinic," she says. "This way, we reach more women."
"Parents should know the nitty-gritty of taking care of themselves, especially their children," Rowena adds. She says this helps avoid the problems they had before, like sick parents unable to support their children, and sick children missing school and falling behind.
'World Vision is a big blessing'
Rowena stays very busy caring for her family and household, and is determined to provide for her children. She believes that education is their only antidote to poverty.
Rowena is thankful that her third child, Sitti Hanina, 14, has become a World Vision sponsored child -- something that is helping out the whole family. Her husband, Nazer, earns the equivalent of about $2-3 a day, which often isn't enough. "World Vision is a big blessing to my family," says Rowena.
Rowena gives back by actively serving others and ensuring that proper health and nutritional practices offer benefits to mothers and their children.
"We're grateful for the training and support that World Vision provided," she says. "We enjoy listening to the cries of newborn babies, especially because now these are healthy cries. They are cries of life."
In prayer, lift up volunteer healthcare workers like Rowena. Pray for the mothers and children who still don't have access to good prenatal and postnatal care.
Give a one-time gift of a new mother and baby kit that provides essential supplies mothers need in order to care for their newborn children.
Sponsor a child today. Your support for a boy or girl in need will also benefit an entire family and community, expanding access to essentials like healthcare and support for new and expectant mothers.
Advocate for better maternal and child healthcare. Ask your members of Congress to oppose major cuts to the International Affairs budget, which provides critical, life-saving care to combat child mortality, hunger and malnutrition, and diseases. Devastating and disproportionate cuts have been proposed that literally threaten lives of the poor and vulnerable, especially children. The International Affairs budget makes up just 1.4 percent of the federal budget.
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