200 women die in childbirth in Africa every single day. 200 is just a staggering, unbelievable number. What is more troubling is how easy and inexpensive it is to save these precious lives.  $2.50 can purchase a vile of pitocin that can save a mother from postpartum  hemorrhaging, a leading cause of maternal death. That’s right. Two dollars and fifty cents.

 Imagine going in to the hospital to deliver your baby, and this is the scenario: You have to travel for days, mostly by foot. You are required to bring everything you will need with you, nothing is supplied, not even a bed and most certainly not linens or blankets or food or water.  If you do not bring the supplies you need, you simply will not be provided them and if you don’t have money they will turn you away.

These are the obstacles many women in Africa face, in order to receive any kind of maternity care, but sadly, even after doing all they can to keep their babies safe, they are not always afforded the luxury of care, even in a life or death situation.

In a recent video I was sent, a mother was kicked out of the hospital and left on the side of the road bleeding to death because she did not have $50 to pay for the gas needed to transport her to the nearest hospital with up to date facilities. One of the midwives from Hearts4Africa stopped and saw this women dying and paid the $50 but it was too late, she had started bleeding several hours before and she and her baby passed away. When I say hospital, it is not at all what you might think.  The hospitals that I have seen resemble a shabby garage, with dirty floors and women laying around, generally unattended fending for themselves, no sanitary supplies, no educated Doctors or Midwives.  Almost more troubling than mothers and babies dying is the unimaginable fate of already living children whose mothers have just passed away.  We have to work together to give these people a better life, better outcomes, and maternity care and support!

We are building a birth center in Uganda, to make this care more accessible. The land for the birth center has already been donated, the plans are drawn up and the head Obstetrician and midwife are already there helping women the best they can.   Supplies are being stocked for the small onsite facility they have now and construction on the birth center will begin shortly.

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For every single purchase made from Hippilongstockings.com we donate a coordinating item to a child or mother in need.