We don’t always realize how fortunate we are that our mothers had access to prenatal services and a hospital to deliver us in. In Sierra Leone, most women give birth alone in their homes with no midwife or medical aid, putting them at serious risk for complications. Many women die during childbirth due to these complications. Sierra Leone boasts one of the lowest life expectancies in the world.

Our partner Faith Healing Development Organization’s (FHDO) clinics in Kenema,Bo, and Rokel and Bunumbu, Sierra Leone are managed by a remarkable woman, Mamie Baindu. She works to provide pregnant and lactating women with services to ensure a safe delivery for mother and child, as well as post-delivery healthcare.

Many years ago, a woman named Ballu came to Mamie after hearing of the high-quality care provided by the clinics. Ballu was facing severe pregnancy complications that could have proved fatal. Thanks to Mamie and her nurses Ballu delivered a healthy baby girl. Ballu’s daughter, Hawa, who is now a grown woman living in the city of Freetown chooses to return to the clinic that saved her mother’s life for her health care.

Today Mamie and her colleagues deliver up to 15 babies per month at their clinics. They also provide 24-hour emergency care to their surrounding communities. The ongoing support by our friends makes the life-saving, and life-giving, operation of these clinics possible.