URGENT APPEAL
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What would you do if you were pregnant, and the nearest midwife was 50km away?
Adawuka Mukna is a 30-year-old mother and pastoralist, living in Chifra, Afar region, Ethiopia. She is pregnant with her sixth child and experiencing many complications, including bleeding and nausea. But, she can't get to a doctor. It's too far, and too costly.
She fears what that might mean for her unborn child. No woman should face pregnancy and childbirth without medical support.
Give to our Big Give campaign today to help Bring Health Closer to women like Adawuka.
Too far from healthcare
Afar region is one of Ethiopia's driest areas, and is experiencing drought. Adawuka's nomadic community relies on livestock for their livelihood. They move to find new pasture, taking them further from vital health services.
"Now, this is the worst drought. We moved our cattle to the areas that get rain. We were not displaced by the conflict, but the drought has forced us to move," says Adawuka.
No health worker support
With her previous children, and like most women in her community, Adawuka delivered her babies out in the open, with no shelter and helped only by a traditional birth attendant rather than a trained health worker. This puts women’s lives, and their babies' lives, at serious risk.
Here in Ethiopia, nearly 240 babies die each day before they are just one month old.
We must act now to reach more pregnant mothers.
You can help bring health closer with a gift today. Give online to our Big Give match funding appeal here before 12 noon on 10 December and your donation will be doubled.*
This is why Amref is Bringing Health Closer
Across Africa, we have partnered with communities and governments to develop innovations so more people can reach healthcare.
In Ethiopia, we co-designed mobile health outreaches. The units bring health workers, medicines and health services directly to hard-to-reach communities.
Each unit has five health professionals and a community health worker. They travel by 4x4 ambulance, spending a day per location. They treat up to 300 people and return each month.
Henok, a nurse-midwife, has worked across the region for two years. He provides prenatal, family planning, and postnatal care services, as well as vaccinations for children under five.
These monthly outreaches are Adawuka’s only access to antenatal care from trained professionals. Henok reminds us how vital the units are below:
If this service is halted, there is going to be no way this community will get access to health services... In fact, it must be fortified and become better.
Help us Bring Health Closer to communities
One donation given in the Big Give week means twice the impact.
What is the Big Give?
Find out more about the Big Give and Amref's Big Give Christmas Challenge match funding campaign.
What is the Big Give?
Big Give is a platform - and a registered charity (1136547) - that runs match funding campaigns for charities and special causes at key moments across the year. It connects charities to funders (like philanthropists, foundations or corporates) and the public; it helps donors to double their donations and in doing so, to double the difference they make.
Can I claim Gift Aid on my Big Give donation?
Yes, the Big Give will collect Gift Aid from all eligible donations made to Amref's Christmas Challenge match funding campaign during the Big Give week 3-10 December.
All you need to do is to tick the box indicating you would like to claim Gift Aid when you make your donation.
All images were taken in February 2024 © Amref Health Africa/Genaye Eshetu:
(Banner image) Adawuka Mukna outside the Amref mobile clinic in Chifra, Afar, Ethiopia; Adawuka and her children Hela, Meyrem and Ali, outside their home in Chifra; Adawuka and her children Hela, Meyrem and Ali, walking from their home to the mobile clinic; Adawuka getting a consultation from Henok Sitatow in the mobile clinic.
*To qualify for match funding, donations must be made through the Big Give’s portal, through the links provided on this page. The match fund is capped at £40,000, so once the target is reached, or after 12 noon on 10 December, donations will no longer be doubled.