Conferre 02 - The Health of Our Mothers

CONFERRE Imagining change with creativity and compassion

Summer 2010

vol. 2

Letters from the editors

Conferre Editors:

Designer:

As we welcomed our son Noah Gavin Adams into the world two months ago, this issue of Conferre is focused on women as mothers.

Pregnancy, labor, and motherhood have been profound studies in how limited my control of my world really is. Yet it has been deeply empowering to step into this uniquely instinctive experience, one that unites me with multitudes of women, past and present.

Common themes materialized as we learned about projects for this issue. Childbirth is only one thread of a woman's life, and as such, projects cannot focus on motherhood without addressing the contexts of education, nutrition, socio-economic status, and family structure. Childbirth and motherhood become matters of life and death in those very contexts.

Through the profiles of people working in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, India, and Malaysia, this issue offers the perspectives of social entrepreneurs trying out different ideas to benefit women across the world. Thank you so much for being part of this issue.

The birth of our son on May 12 was a source of joy and celebration in our family. But it was sobering to think that somewhere else a family was mourning and broken that same day. Nearly every minute a woman dies of pregnancy related complications. Almost always preventable.

The people we profiled in this issue are not doctors, nor do they have a medical background or years of study. They’re people opening up their home to pregnant teenagers, raising chickens or vegetables for a healthy family, or educating illiterate moms-to-be. Fortunately, this is not an issue that will be solved in the labs of expensive research. Instead the cure is happening in small, inexpensive and creative ways by compassionate people.

After reading this issue, if you want to learn more, check out the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood at www.whiteribbonalliance.org.

They’re an international coalition of organizations and individuals committed to saving mothers. Because knowledge drives change.

Jo Hunter Adams

Eugene Adams

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Summer 2010 Jo Hunter Adams Eugene Adams Eugene Adams

Special thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue.

All work is copyrighted by their respective authors and used with permission and sometimes without permission.

This magazine is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States license.

Conferre is a quarterly publication of Conferre.com, a design agency focused on creating message-driven print publications to help nonprofits and small organizations communicate compelling social issues. For questions, comments, ideas about the magazine, please contact Eugene@conferre.com

Content Home for Mothers Without Homes 3 Caring for Mothers

by Empowering Social Entrepreneurs 5

Mothers to Mother Hens   8 Mothers Growing Community 11 A Birth Plan the Whole Family Can Read 13

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A Home For Mothers

Without Homes 3

Jenny Ling has been working at the Unwed Mother's Home in Penang, Malaysia, for 22 years. The home is geared towards housing and empowering unwed mothers in a social context where stigma is associated with pregnancy outside of marriage. As we highlight her work, we hope to encourage her and all of the readers who are similarly a part of designing and redesigning their work to meet changing needs.

What are the most pressing needs of the mothers you work with?

First of all, most of these unwed mothers are very young—some as young as 12 years old.

The condition of their entries vary; rape victims, incest, teenage pregnancy etc. Hence, I would say that their most pressing need based on their situation would be to first better understand their own body and its needs. Following that, these girls need more exposure, education on daily self management, self empowerment and lastly, financial independence.

What do you think has been most effective in providing for these needs?

I find a series of counseling sessions to be most helpful in addressing their issues. We also offer them the opportunity to learn various handicrafts at the centre as a form of therapy—selling these handicrafts also gives them some financial assistance while they are at the home. Yoga teachers are also engaged to teach them breathing exercises and to help them better connect with their bodies.

What is their most important health need?

Their entire well-being during the pregnancy and the process of birth

What do you think is universal about the work you do? What is local?

Universally, while mothers everywhere go through the journey of preg-

and post-natal management.

nancy and birth, in my country, the label of being an unwed mother is a social stigma. The shame of being an unwed mother may well be typical of Asia, where one community cannot accept the situation the girls find themselves in. Some sectors of community even look to punish them, hence homes like mine exist—to help shelter them through this very trying phase in their lives.

What inspires you about the work you do?

What inspires me most is when the girls who leave my home find a better life.

While most of them recover very well, some even go to the extend of welcoming their babies without any reservations despite the condition in which these babies were conceived. I am always happy to hear from them from time to time—it motivates me to continue with my antenatal counseling.

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Caring for Mothers by Empowering Social Entrepreneurs

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Caring for Mothers by Empowering Social Entrepreneurs

W

hat began as a one-week trip to the

Dominican Republic (DR) by a Boston-based medical doctor and a philanthropist has grown into an organization empowering local leaders in many parts of the world.

The impact of the trip was short-lived, as it depended on the fleeting presence of Boston-based physicians and public health practitioners. Recognizing this limitation, World Connect was founded as "Infante Sano", to develop more sustainable solutions to the pressing challenges the team had encountered in the Dominican Republic.

One of the key realizations during this startup phase was that health challenges were best described and addressed by people fully connected to their own communities. That is, by local social entrepreneurs.

For example, working closely with the DR Ministry of Health, World Connect appreciated the value of mid-sized municipal hospitals (10-20 beds) in supporting women through a health delivery. While working to empower specific municipal hospitals, World Connect and its local partners more than doubled the number of births at Hospital de Villa Fundacion by creating a model for, roughly translated, "Humanized birth". Women who had been afraid to give birth in a hospital could now access a type of prenatal and delivery care that was helpful to them: care that helped mothers understand and make choices about their care and the care of their baby.

At La Saona clinic, World Connect organized groups to listen to the health needs of the community. These groups identified maternal

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deaths as a problem. They suggested a visiting doctor and a Community Health worker could provide the support women needed during pregnancy and childbirth.

By directing the hiring process, the team was empowered to make a selection of both a physician who continues to volunteer her time, and a community health worker who is deeply invested in the community, having been trained specifically to serve her own community. World Connect facilitated and backed the project financially: their presence was essential in empowering the process. Yet today at La Saona, World Connect could leave and the work would continue.

World Connect's most recent venture takes them beyond Hispaniola, to projects around the world. By identifying projects where Peace Core Volunteers are present, World Connect has a point of contact that allows them to enrich the Peace Core Volunteer's experience, while funding a wide range of innovative projects. By providing a small grant, as well as advice and parameters to help direct projects, World Connect helps volunteers and local social entrepreneurs affect change. They consider the grants of a few thousand dollars to be seed money: investments in innovative ideas that could grow and multiply.

Even now, the structure of the organization is small: four fulltime employees who consider themselves social entrepreneurs. Despite their small size, the organization is infinitely scalable.

Learn more about World Connect and their grants at www.worldconnect-us.org Read interviews with two World Connect's Mother to Mother grant recipients to hear their story.

Mothers to Mother Hens Page 8 Mothers Growing Community Page 11

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Mothers to Mother Hens

Morgan Pleasant is a Peace Core volunteer serving the community of Lomas del Sol in Costa Rica. She worked with the mothers of Lomas del Sol to create a proposal and receive a World Connect Mothers to Mothers Grant. Together, they imagined a sustainable, scalable approach to the problem of malnutrition and chronic illness in this community.

Where did the idea for the project come from?

The idea came about when I received notice about the Mothers to Mothers Grant. I told a small group of women community leaders that this funding was available, and asked them what type of a project might interest them that could benefit everyone in the community, especially children.

We identified malnutrition and chronic illness as priority concerns in the community, and first started talking about creating a community garden. After discussing the garden the women decided they had more experience and fewer people would be needed to run a chicken farm. In addition, a chicken farm turns over profits more quickly than a garden. With these factors in mind, we decided to start with a chicken farm.

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Who is involved in the project?

While a variety of community members got involved to construct the farm, the group of mothers who founded the project idea will lead efforts to maintain it. These women are passionate about providing a better life for their families, and creating long-term, positive changes in their community.

Just as importantly, this project is about improving the self-esteem of the women running the farm, as they are the most marginalized group in my commuThe women's planing meeting with work plan on the wall behind them

nity and have experienced innumerable hardships and very few opportunities to improve the lives of their families.

How will the farm benefit the community?

The women of Lomas will be able to sell the meat within their own community and also in the surrounding area, including the weekly local farmer’s market. Once the poultry farm begins to generate profits which exceed maintenance costs, 75% of these funds will be put towards the production of an organic community garden which will allow more community involvement and will also be helped

Lidia, president of the women's group, with a shovel.

The women cleared the land immediately after learning their grant application was accepted.

by the organic waste from the chickens. The end goal is to have both the garden and the chicken farm providing fresh nutritious produce and meat to these families and children at an affordable price.

The other 25% will be used in the community’s efforts to gain access to water in their homes. Only 6 of the 70 houses in Lomas del Sol have running water, while the rest of the community must share two tubes located on opposite ends of the community’s single road.

Shopping for matierals for the coup.

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How is being part of the Peace Corps, and this project, helping you to think about your future?

Peace Corps has certainly impacted my dreams for the future, but not in a predictable way. When you live in a completely different culture you learn so much about yourself. I stand out here, which influences people to ask me questions about who I am and why I am here. Having to address those questions forces me to really self-reflect, and provides me with the opportunity to really define who I am am and what is important to me in a way that wouldn't have necessarily happened back home. My self-reflection here has taught me that providing people with information and and techniques to improve their physical and mental wellbeing makes me really happy, and as a result I plan to study public health and exercise science when I return to the States.

You can read more about Morgan's experience in Costa Rica at www.peacecorpsmorgan.blogspot.com

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Mothers Growing Community Together with her women’s group, Peace Core Volunteer Chamisa Mackenzie received a Mothers to Mothers grant to start a Greenhouse in Volcan, Costa Rica.

The town is surrounded by pineapple fields owned by Del Monte, the major employer in the area. Women have limited employment options at Del Monte, and most are housewives.

The project empowers a group of women to work together and learn how to grow fruits and vegetables

“

Hi my name is Yanury Fallas Bermudez, I am 41 years old and my experience working in this women's group of Volcan was at first difficult because I heard about the group late but after learning that the idea was... to build a greenhouse I thought it was a good idea and I felt it was very important, and so I said "I'm going to be useful to the community", I also want to thank Chamisa for having thought of the women in Volcan."

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“

My name is Elizabeth B.V. I feel very good in the group that we have formed because it encourages us to start expressing our ideas more, and Chamisa helps our confidence. This project helps us to have many friends and it’s a good, and healthy distraction. My friends are very fun and sociable. We have learned how to relate better to people and we know now that we can do whatever we propose because we are very capable. Forward Women of Volcan! and Good luck!"

in a greenhouse, improving nutrition and ultimately generating income.

Our women’s group in Volcan learned about the Mothers to Mothers grant opportunity. As a group we decided to construct a greenhouse to grow fruits and vegetables for the group’s consumption as well as resale. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock is helping with the technical parts of the project - the design of the greenhouse, teaching us how to make organic compost, etc.

So far, the group has been meeting to clean the lot, lent by a neighbor, for the greenhouse. We built a hut of bamboo and covered it with plastic to cover the compost we made. We are now in the process of buying supplies to build the greenhouse. By next month, we will have all the materials and start building.

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A Birth Plan the Whole Family Can Read

S

In the rural regions of Gujarat and

In 2004, CHETNA created news-

complicated a pregnancy can

Rajashtan half of families will pay

letters focused on maternal heath

be. Beyond health complications,

for a home birth rather than seek

for a low-literacy audience to help

pregnant women must navigate

out free delivery services at a lo-

educate families on their right to

the Indian health system: what

cal public hospital. Many forego

certain resources. One issue fo-

numbers should a woman call to

government services such as free

cused on birth preparedness and

register for services? How does

ambulance services, prenatal tab-

an insert was created summarizing

she get to appointments or to the

lets, blood banks, immunizations

all the information women would

hospital?

and even cash.

need. The usefulness of the insert

mita Bajpai knows how

became apparent when many As a program officer for CHETNA,

Families who decide on a home

families began posting it on their

a large organization working to

birth said they were afraid of travel

walls. Next year CHETNA decided

improve maternal health in India,

expenses, hospitals bills, labor

to turn the insert into a wall calen-

Smita has shelves of literature for

began in the middle of the night or

dar tool to educate more families.

pregnant mothers, emergency

they just weren't sure what to do.

numbers for blood banks, knowl-

Others tried going to the hospital

The calendar worked! As a tra-

edge of every free government

but were turned away or charged

ditional fixtures in homes, they

service a mother is entitled to. But

questionable fees. Not knowing

were not only readily accepted,

all this information is useless unless

the law or what they were entitled

but placed in a prominent place.

one has a good way to share it.

to, families just accepted what

Pamphlets and paper can easily

they were told.

get lost or left unopened, especial-

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ly in a low literacy population. The

hypertension, acute pain, bleeding

calendar is filled with numbers that

and difficulty breathing. She also

are easy to access, and a checklist

learns about care and services avail-

of important "things-to-do".

able during pregnancy.

The wall calendar helps women

The calendar empowers husbands'

note her basic obstetric details,

roles during the pregnancy-- from

such as her expected date of

ensuring their wives are getting

delivery, place for delivery, the

good nutrition and taking their pre-

birth attendant and her contact,

natal tablet, to sharing their work-

plan for savings and the source

load. Husbands are given danger

of financial support when need

signs to watch for and encouraged

arises. The calendar also helps to

to accompany their wives for check-

plan for transport, including the

ups. By addressing husbands

lies-- including their husbands-- to

contact of the transport owner,

directly in the calendar, they're more

plan for birth, which is culturally not

the contact of the health provid-

likely to play a role.

done in many communities. It has met with such success that public

ers in case of complications and arrangements for blood-donors

The success of the calendar is in

health authorities in Rajasthan will

as well as contact of blood bank.

part because it invokes active par-

adopt the calendar as a major pub-

The woman also learns about four

ticipation from service providers,

lic health measure!

major pregnancy complications:

pregnant woman and their fami-

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Food

Our next issue will focus on food—we'll take a look of some of the ways we're getting our food here in Boston, Massachusetts, and what some organizations and individuals are doing to help us eat GOOD food, here and in other parts of the world. We'd love to hear about small organizations and individuals working near you!

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2010 Fall