As we were mourning the passing of our sister, Harriet we were also celebrating the miraculous arrival of baby Christopher.
Christopher is the son of Shanti Uganda beader Nakate Teopista. Despite battling Malaria and various other sickness' during her pregnancy, Teopista gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Both momma and baby are doing great!
As Seen at http://www.womensconference.org/saving-mothers-lives/
What are the risks a mother in Uganda faces during childbirth?
There
are so many. Sometimes, out of fear or too great distances, the mother
won’t go to a clinic but will choose to give birth at home, where she
runs the risk of having the umbilical cord cut by a rusty knife or
scissor, which can create infection. Also when a baby is born out in
the village, the mother can easily bleed out if there aren’t the
necessary instruments to help stitch or deal with hemorrhaging.
Unfortunately,
a lot of the clinics don’t have contemporary devices to support the
mother – and the mother and child could die for the same reasons as in
the bush.
When I was in a clinic I saw a lot of fear and
panic. Midwives hit the birthing mothers – told them not to cry or
scream. These mothers also had to provide their own plastic bags, which
they gave birth onto.
What inspired you to build an eco-birthing center in Uganda?
I met a woman named Natalie Angell who was creating an organization – Shanti Uganda. Her focus was HIV/AIDS and how it relates to women and infant-mother mortality issues in Uganda.
She
was providing a solution to a problem, and I wanted to help her create
this kind of safe and effective environment to give birth in. That’s
how the eco-birthing center came to be.
Why Uganda?
It could have been any Third World country. Unfortunately the
circumstances are largely the same – when you’re dealing with poverty
and illiteracy, you’re going to deal with circumstances around birth
that are unsafe, unsanitary, and in some cases, unsacred.
Uganda
happened to be a country we focused on because of the genocide – and we
tend to focus on cultures that have dealt with trauma.
What is an eco-birthing center?
First
of all, all the materials are natural and sourced from the local
environment: We use the earth, the hay and water to create the brick
mixture. And then the bricks sun bake. Water that has been used is
reused as gray water. It’s run on solar. So it’s a sustainable
environment.
The birthing center itself has a birthing house
where the midwives and birthing attendants can all get together and
take classes on HIV, safe birthing practices, contemporary birth
practices and traditional birthing practices.
The birthing house
offers traditional beds as well as alternative means for childbirth
(like bathtubs and squatting areas). We really try to create an
environment that supports women in their birthing practice, whatever
that is for them.
In March, Shanti Uganda welcomed 4 women into our textiles group. They all completed our textiles training program and are now official seamstress' of the Shanti Uganda Society. This month the women sewed their first yoga mat bags which will be available in North America this summer!
On May 2nd we held our second Annual General Meeting and elected an outstanding group of women to lead as our 2010/2011 Board of Directors. From grant writing to goal setting, this year’s board has an extraordinary amount of passion, talent and heart and we are honoured to have them dedicate their time and energy to such an important cause.
President - Ainslie Cook
Vice President & Midwifery Sponsorship Director – Lena
Jerabek
Treasurer & Events Director – Wendy Weymann
Secretary & Wholesale Director – Brenna Coupland
Wholesale Director – Sara Mullin
Grant Writing Director – Lindsay Marsh
Grant Writing Director – Sarah Reeves
We offer our thanks to two of our outgoing board members,
Kristen Porter and Erin Sawyer for their dedication and service over the last year.
It has been an extraordinary year or growth which could not have been possible
without their time and energy.
From our Project Coordinator in Uganda,
In mid-April we said goodbye to an amazing women, mother and beader. Thirty-one year old Nabakema Harriet was a mother of 3 and a member of the Shanti Uganda income-generating group. This was a wake-up call to all of us as we were once again reminded of the reality of HIV/AIDS.
Her Shanti sisters held a beautiful service in her memory on the Shanti Uganda grounds. An orange tree was planted in the centre of the courtyard in her memory. Nabakema's mother travelled eight hours in a Matatu to take part in the ceremony. Harriet is remembered by her sisters as calm, patient and as someone with and open ear. Harriet was one of our top beaders and the money she made as a member of our women’s group will go toward the care of her 3 orphaned Children."
Harriet was one amazing mama and we were blessed to have her
as a member of The Shanti Uganda Women's Income Generating Group.
In 2008 Kristen Porter moved from the East Coast of Canada to Vancouver, BC to join Shanti Uganda's growing Board of Directors. At the time, we were a newly incorporated society, had just recently established projects on the ground in Uganda and were in the process of trying to become a registered charity. In 2009, she served as President of the Board and over the last year has been an integral part of the success of The Shanti Uganda Society. As president, Kristen attended regular donor meetings, assisted in the proposal that resulted in much of our 2010 funding, registered Shanti Uganda as an official Canadian Charity and traveled through the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and down to California attending festivals to share our story.
In March 2010, she decided to step down as President of the Board and move to Uganda to take on a staff role with Shanti Uganda. We're thrilled that she is now working in Uganda as our Project Coordinator and has taken on the responsibility of guiding the success of our programs on the ground. If you’re interested in volunteering in Uganda, email kristen@shantiuganda.org
In addition to our new project coordinator, check out our staff page to see the amazing individuals who are now working in Uganda.
Thank you Kristen for the time, heart and vision you have brought to Shanti Uganda over the years!
