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| Bishop June prepares for a stroll in Santiago de Compostela Source: Twitter Bishop Joanna prepares for Christian Aid Week at GB Source: Church in Wales |
Wales’ bishops have joined in the call to support mums in Sierra Leone this Christian Aid Week (12-18th May 2019) and to draw attention to the stark reality that women in Sierra Leone are 150 times more likely to die in childbirth than those in the UK.
This year’s Christian Aid Week campaign draws attention to the high maternal death rate in Sierra Leone – the most dangerous place to become a mum. 10 women die giving birth every day and one in nine babies do not reach their fifth birthday. An estimated 15,000 mothers have died during childbirth since the Ebola crisis in 2014.
£300 could provide a delivery bed for a new health centre giving mums a safe place to deliver their babies. A sum of £60 raised could buy a starter kit for community health workers, which includes a bicycle, torch, rain coat and rain boots. Just £15 could buy a stethoscope or a bucket of paint for a community health clinic.
Bishop Joanna Penberthy (pictured right) said, “This is a such an important appeal. In the UK we take good antenatal care and medical support in childbirth for granted. As someone who almost died giving birth, I know first-hand how important it is to have all the right help and care in place. In supporting Christian Aid’s work, we can make a difference. Please give today.” (Press release here)
The Bishop of Llandaff is taking time out with all her clergy during Christian Aid week for a compulsory clergy school in Santiago de Compostela.
How many lives may have been saved in Sierra Leone this Christian Aid Week if the Llandaff clergy school had been held in Llandaff and the savings donated to the Appeal?
