We are getting ready to leave next Wednesday on our 24th trip to Sierra Leone. "We" are Chris McManus, MOMS' President, and Trish Ross, MOMS' Education Director. "MOMS" is Midwives on Missions of Service.
I am starting with what might be a review for you who have followed our news for the past 14 years and what might be a primer for some of you who are newer to MOMS. We started writing these missives to let our friends and family know what was going on, and the list grew from there. But we weren't very diligent in making sure our readers knew what in the world we were talking about!
In addition to Chris and Trish, MOMS has a board of directors who care deeply that women in Sierra Leone face one of the world's worst mortality rates: down to about 1.1% each year, according to the most positive estimates (compared to the US at .023%). When we started teaching in Sierra Leone, maternal mortality was about 3%.
Teaching is done in small teams of two or three, and our volunteer teachers have been invaluable: Buffy Price, Cherilyn Porter, Emily Kritzler, Lisa Varnes-Epstein, Carol Nelson, among others.
We do have two paid staff in Sierra Leone: Junior Seisay is our Country Director and Jitta Rogers Seisay is our Training Manager. Jitta was our friend from the first day we stepped onto Sierra Leonean soil. Our relationship with her and Junior quickly moved from respectful professional colleagues to beloved and personal family.
We have certified two Maternal/Child Healthcare Aides as MOMS Trainers: Lydia Thomas and Josephine Fortune. And our Leadership Council includes one member from each location where we have taught. So our Sierra Leonean MOMS family is growing stronger and more independent every year.
And, boy, have we been teaching! We have trained 16 classes in 13 locations, graduating 500 women as MOMS Community Health Workers. Our CHW classes last 3.5 weeks, 18 full days of classroom and practica. The successful students complete at least 16 days of class and earn 70% or better on the final exam. Over 95% of our students earn a certificate - and most of these earn an "A" on the final.
We have also taught dozens of continuing education courses on breast health, breastfeeding, domestic violence, anatomy and physiology, grief, special topics in nutrition, among other things. The venue for some of the continuing education is the "Jamboree." We have now held four Jamborees and aim to host these every other year -- including #5 this coming November. The Jamborees are a great chance for the women to gather with their "Sister MOMS CHWs" and celebrate, learn, and share ideas.
So, we (Chris and Trish) are leaving for trip #24 next week, and will teach cohorts #17 & #18 in a new District of Sierra Leone. One of these classes will be at the Doctors Without Borders site in Hangha in the Kenema District. The other class will be just down the road in Largo, where a large refugee camp operated during the war. We will teach with Jitta, Lydia, and Jo.
Another new thing for this trip is that four people from Jitta's classes in Public Health will also attend these classes. We are excited to work with these four new partners.
As always, we struggle to convey how much your support, of all kinds, means to us. Your prayers and good thoughts protect and strengthen us. Your money and gifts of various supplies make the work happen. We are grateful. More important than our gratitude, to our way of thinking, is that the women of Sierra Leone live because of you. And they are very grateful. You make the trainings happen. And these new, skilled health workers save lives. It is very real, very gritty.
Thank you.
And as always, we are eager to talk with you - ask us questions, invite us to come talk with your family, church, book club, service organization.
When we get back, after some serious culture shock on our return, we will let you know what you made happen in Hangha and Largo.
Trish and Chris
Check out our wonderful new web site, courtesy of Drew Fagan.
www.MOMS-Midwives.org
Our Donations page gives you lots of options for helping.
www.moms-midwives.org/donate.html
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