Knitted Goods
Many thanks to the knitters and sewers of Whitchurch, Hampshire and Kidderminster, Birmingham who provide us with thousands of homemade hats, vests, blankets and swaddling sheets each year.
Sporting Endeavours
In the middle of 2020, during the lull between waves of the pandemic, several of our long-time supporters undertook incredible sporting adventures raising money for MAMA’s projects. Duncan Sherlock walked the virtual London marathon raising £1450, well in excess of...
Azur
MAMA began at Azur Clinic, in Hoima, Uganda. It is now known as The Princess Alexandria. The town of Hoima is home to one of twelve government regional referral hospitals, has a population of around 100,000 and is one of the largest and poorest towns in Uganda.
Charity Flash Day
Many thanks to The Circle, London for organising this charity fundraiser for us on 14th August. They raised an amazing £1730 by donating takings from their flash day of tattooing.
Liz Payne
“We went into the kangaroo care ward, it was like a ray of sunshine: skin-to-skin care is the most effective way of regulating a baby’s heart rate and temperature, as well as helping to initiate breastfeeding and bonding and they were promoting this form of care. With many premature babies being born this was essential to their survival, and it was happening….”
Outreach Clinics
Holding outreach antenatal and family planning clinics in isolated settings has been a key way MAMA has reached isolated, deprived communities in Western Uganda. These outreach clinics have been invaluable in developing strong relationships with these communities and their leaders, as precursors to establishing our permanent facilities.
Neonatal care and admissions
Infection, breathing difficulty or prematurity are just some of the reasons why a baby may need to be transferred to the paediatric ward after birth. MAMA also supports the neonatal services at our partner hospital, Azur Health Centre IV in Hoima town.
Caesarean section
Caesarean sections may be required as a result of babies becoming distressed during labour or if labour becomes obstructed due to a small pelvis, large baby or malposition of the baby. It might be indicated electively due to a history of previous Caesarean sections or uterine rupture, or if babies are in certain positions (for example lying sideways across the womb). At MAMA we support our colleagues at Azur Health Centre in performing these operations when needed, whilst remaining mindful to not perform them unnecessarily.
Health Projects – Pre-eclampsia
In October our health project addressed pre eclampsia. The project we delivered to 38 health centres across Hoima District and numerous women were educated on the warning signs of PET. Staff were given boxes of emergency medicines and equipment, and some training on how to manage the condition
Ugandan Volunteer Midwives
When a midwife or nurse qualifies and then gets employment, they are expected to work as a ‘volunteer’ for one year to pay back the government for their training. These midwives are only paid 50,000 Ugandan shillings a month (roughly £10).