Press
USA
Ezer Kenegdo
by Desiree Henderson
3/9/16
What is your name, age, and sum up your business, what it does, and what it seeks to do?
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My name is Sarah Musa and I am twenty-two years old. The 501c3 non-profit foundation that I founded in May 2014 is called Prospect In Mummy’s Tummy (PIMT) International. The purpose of PIMT is to help communities break the cycle of extreme poverty by assisting the underprivileged expectant women and children. PIMT aims to improve the life status of children on a sustainable basis and is geared towards the health of the mother and baby. PIMT’s approach is multi-faceted, with specific areas like: maternity care, infant and child health, and providing basic education for underprivileged children. Although we do not have funding but our activities have spread from the USA to 2 countries in West Africa, namely: Sierra Leone and The Gambia. We are grateful to have recently received a grant of $5000 from The Cloudbreak Foundation which will be implemented in the US. Through this grant, we will provide 50 Baskets of Love and 100 school bags and school supplies.
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According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), over 124 million children and young adolescents are out of school. Girls are the majority of children who are out of school. Furthermore, over 24 million children will never set foot in a classroom setting. As of right now, the focus of PIMT Int. is geared towards creating an impact in children’s life through the construction of a school in The Gambia. The Gambia is the smallest country in West Africa with a population of over 1.9 million people. According to a 2013 World Bank survey, 89,476 children in The Gambia were out of primary school. Furthermore, the CIA world factbook states that 48.4% of Gambians are below the poverty line and make less than $1.25 per day.
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PIMT Int. will help break the cycle of poverty by building a school in The Gambia. The name of the school will be Prospect In Mummy’s Tummy Academy (PIMTA). At the moment, we are raising funds for the construction of the school due to the fact that we do not have partner organizations. Therefore, the majority of the money has come from my mother’s contribution to the organization. For the school, our goal is to start with the construction of a nursery school. The nursery school will be comprised of three levels. The first level is geared for the age range of 4-5 years. Then the second level will be geared for ages 5-6. Finally the third level will be ages 6-7 years.
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Our goal is to promote girls education and we plan on starting with fifteen children.There will be ten girls and five boys in our first Prospect In Mummy’s Tummy Academy. The target population will be families who are below the poverty line and will not be able to afford to send their children to school. Our goal is to create a solid foundation for the children at a young age so that they will be prepared for the primary level work. Eventually, we do plan on expanding PIMTA to include a primary and secondary school. We believe that by providing a secondary school, the students will have better opportunities of shaping their communities through a higher paying job and furthering their education.
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The concept of PIMTA is unique in that with the availability of funding, we hope to be providing free education, uniforms, school supplies, and food for the children. Some of the barriers that prevent children from stepping foot into the classroom are uniforms and school supplies.
What happened that ignited you to start this business?
I had an interview at the end of my Sophomore year in college. One of the questions that I was asked was “where do you see yourself in ten years?” I responded by saying that I would like to build a clinic in ten years. After the interview, my mom said “Why wait for ten years when you can start now?” Since then, we have been working on PIMT Int.
What are you most passionate about? (When this happens your heart is full.)
I am most passionate about universal girls education and women’s health. For me, it all started in high school when I co-started a chapter club called Girls Learn International. Through this club, I became aware of the obstacles that stand in girls way of accomplishing their goals in life. Some of these challenges for girls in developing countries include: poverty and cultural preference of educating a boy over a girl. Since high school, I had wanted to work in the labor and delivery field. For the most part, this is a field that is filled with celebration due to the birth of a child. I see myself working in a positive environment. However, I am aware of the fact that every minute, a woman dies from complications in childbirth. Furthermore, the majority of women who lose their lives during delivery are in developing countries(Unicef). As a result with the availability of funding, PIMT Int. hopes to build clinics to ensure that women in developing countries will have safer deliveries and experience the joys of healthy deliveries.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “Woman”?
When I think about the word woman, the words that come to mind include: powerful, strong, bold, and courageous. As women, we have the unique abilities to nurture one another. Furthermore, we inspire and encourage one another through our journey and walks of life. We are powerful and valuable because our “worth is far above rubies” (Prov 31: 10). We are strong because of our determination to not give up after trials come our way. Moreover, through our bold and courageous mindset, we break the limits that society sets for us and soar to new levels.
As a woman what trials have you faced? What trials have you over come?
I am faced with the trial of lack of funding for the implementation of activities of PIMT, especially the construction of the proposed school in the Gambia. However, I take it as a challenge and trust that God will make a way to overcome this challenge, so that the underprivileged children would be educated and make a positive impact in their respective societies.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
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One of the main accomplishments that I am most proud of is the formation of PIMT International. PIMT started its operation in 2014 by assisting pregnant women with donations of the essential items that babies would need upon delivery, which are but not limited to; blankets, clothes, socks, lotion, medicine dropper, thermometer, etc. These items are wrapped in baskets we call ‘baskets of love’.
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One of PIMT’s goals is to distribute 400 baskets of love per year to pregnant women, especially the underprivileged. Even though we do not have funding, which has been a challenge, nonetheless, PIMT met one of the goals by donating 441 baskets of love to pregnant women in 4 countries as follows: USA- 170, Sierra Leone-100, The Gambia-170 and Canada-1. Funding so far has been mainly provided by my parents, Joseph and Jestina Musa. Occasionally, I also do fund raising during my spare time in front of stores.
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Also, PIMT has impacted the lives of over 1,000 people, mainly the underprivileged who have been either directly or indirectly benefitted from activities of this organization. There are a plethora of items in life that we tend to take for granted. For instance, on May 30, 2015, during the launching ceremony of PIMT Int. in The Gambia, one of the pregnant women who received a basket of love that same day, delivered in a local clinic in Gambia. Donations of these baskets to Clinics or health centers in developing countries will encourage pregnant women to go to the clinics for routine check ups during pregnancy. This will reduce the mortality rates prevalent in women and children. Another example is of a woman in Gambia who said that she appreciated the lotion that was in the basket. Also it was her first time using lotion for her baby.
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On 15th August, 2015, I was one of the recipients that received an award for my dedicated service to the society in creating an impact on the lives of people, especially pregnant women and their newborn babies. This ceremony took place during a Leadership and Health Management seminar that took place in Virginia.
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On April 25, 2015, with the support of my mother, Jestina Musa, PIMT donated a total of 200 school bags with school supplies and water bottles to school children in Sierra Leone. Schools were closed in this country for 8 months due the the Ebola virus that affected Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea. This donation created an impact on the lives of both the parents who could not afford to buy these school supplies for their children as well as the children who could have otherwise dropped out from schools.
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In September 2013, in a book titled, Stand Up! I was among 75 of the world’s most dynamic young activists whose story ‘Because she is a girl’ featured in this book. The book was edited and introduced by John Schlimm.
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When I was a junior in High school, I was one of the four recipients that received the University Women Diversity Awards. The event took place on Thursday, April 14, 2011. This was in recognition of my involvement in raising awareness and funds for girls in India to get an education through the Girls Learn International organization, which was an organization I co-started at my high school.
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Several newspapers in different countries such as; the USA, Canada, Sierra Leone and the Gambia have written and published articles on the impact PIMT is creating on the lives of the underprivileged. See links to the newspaper articles
What is the big Dream on your heart. Not necessarily something that you can envision reaching now, but one day through faith. The dream that is beyond just you?
The big Dream on my heart is to help girls and women worldwide. I hope to be the voice for girls around the world whose voices are not heard. I have the opportunity to use my voice to inform the public about the unfair treatment of girls. The dream that is beyond me is for God to bless PIMT and get the glory from this organization. I envision PIMT operating in developing countries where the poverty rate is 50% or above. Therefore, the people who are in need will be targeted and their communities will be transformed. I believe that God will make a way and enable PIMT Int. to be a valuable asset to the communities through the construction of schools and clinics in developing countries.
With the availability of funding, I hope that the various countries that PIMT Int. operates in will have nursery to secondary schools and clinics. I believe that through education women can be empowered. In the clinics, the pregnant women will also be provided with educational information on how to care for their newborn babies. I hope to encourage pregnant women to deliver their babies in a clinic environment, where there are qualified professionals. As a result of a safe delivery and educated children, our slogan of healthy moms, healthy babies, and healthy nations will come true by the grace of God.
Link to the article: http://www.ezer-kenegdo.com/iwd-interviews/#SarahMusa
The Gambia
Interview with the President of PIMT
by Rohey Jadama
Foroyaa Newspaper
Children's Corner
The Gambia
6/29/15
Interview with the President of PIMT International Foundation
June 29, 2015
Children’s Corner
With Rohey Jadama
Welcome to another edition of Children’s Corner. In today’s edition, we are featuring an interview with Ms. Sarah Musa, the founder of Prospect In Mummy’s Tummy (PIMT), an international foundation in the Gambia and Sierra Leone. She will be talking about the genesis of her foundation, its accomplishments and how it intends to expand to the other regions of the Gambia.
Children’s Corner: Can you introduced yourself to our esteemedreaders?
Sarah: My name is Sarah Musa and I am a twenty-one year old student currently studying Nursing at James Madison University in USA. My mother is from the Gambia and my father is from Sierra Leone. I was born in Germany in the year 1993. I started my education in Sierra Leone at Tower Hill Kindergarten Primary School and relocated to the US where I completed my primary education at Kings Glen Elementary School. For middle school, I attended Washington Irving Middle School and completed my high school education at West Springfield High School. My passion was birthed out in high school. I am the founder and President of Prospect in Mummy’s Tummy (PIMT), an international foundation in the Gambia and Sierra Leone geared towards the improvement in the life status of children on a sustainable basis which was launched in Gambia on the 30th May, 2015 at Paradise Suites Hotel. The target group of the foundation is the underprivileged women who cannot afford the basic essential items for their new unborn babies. Due to poverty, especially in somedeveloping countries, some expectant mothers cannot afford even the most basic items for their children.
Children’s Corner: You have dedicated yourself in helping expectant mothers and children. What is the motivation behind this?
Sarah: My motivation to help women and children started out in high school. During my second year in high school, I co-started a chapter club called Girls Learn International (GLI). GLI, which has its headquarters in California, USA, educates and energises USA students for girls’ access to education. It has chapters in USA middle and high schools and they partner with schools in countries where girls lag behind boys in access to education.
Through this club, I learned about the struggles that girls had to endure and as a result, those struggles hindered their chances of getting an education. Some of these struggles included poverty, early child marriage, and cultural preference of educating a boy over a girl. In addition to raising awareness for girls to get an education, I realized that I am interested in the labor and delivery field. One of my motivations of working in this field is due to the celebration that happens in the delivery room upon the arrival of a new born baby. I like to surround myself in a positive atmosphere and with the labor and delivery field, it makes me put on my cheering voice and help cheer the mother as she pushes her baby out. Unfortunately, the infant mortality rate is very high in developing countries. Many of these deaths are related to the lack of adequate medical and nursing interventionsat the time of birth. Consequently, with the availability of funding, as one of its long term goals, PIMT plans on building clinics to ensure that women have a safer delivery and produce healthy babies.
PIMT also has an education component wherein we plan on building schools to enable more children have access to education.
Children are Corner: How Many Baskets of Love did you distribute so far since inception?
Sarah: With PIMT International, we show our heart-felt love to the newly born babies by donating gifts in baskets to the expectant mothers. These gifts, which we call baskets of love or babies first kits, contain the essential items that the newly born baby needs upon delivery.
Our target is the underprivileged women who cannot afford the basic essential items. We know that due to poverty, especially in some developing countries, some expectant mothers cannot afford even the basic items for their children.
Donation of the Baskets of Love by PIMT will not only assist the under privileged, but will also encourage the pregnant women to go to the hospitals or health centers for delivery. The provision of routine medical care as well as visits to the health clinics or hospitals will result in healthy moms, health babies and healthy nations, which is in accordance with our slogan.
Our goal is to deliver up to 400-500 baskets of Love yearly. And TODAY, I am pleased to inform you that we have attained our goal of having delivered 400 baskets within this one year of our operation. To date, distributions of the baskets of love that have been done are as follows:
We have distributed a total of 129 Baskets of Love in the United States and our targets are the underprivileged. The Pediatric department of Howard University Hospital in the Washington, District of Colombia has received a total of 80 Baskets of Love. The Harrisonburg Hand In Hand resource center has received 25 Baskets of Love. In addition, 24 Baskets of Love were given to individuals who were pregnant.
We have shipped a total of 170 baskets of love here in the Gambia. We have shipped a total of 100 baskets of love to Sierra Leone One basket has been shipped to Canada .That makes a Grand total of 400 Basket of Love from PIMT In addition to the health sector, PIMT also has an education sector.
Children’s Corner: You doing great, but how does PIMT gets its funding?
Sarah: Basically, my parents are the people that funded this items that I distributed. However, with the availability of funding and logistical support, we plan to expand our activities to the rural area. We cannot do this alone, we need the support, cooperation and collaboration of donors, government and all the stake holders concerned, so that we can achieve our objectives of improving the health status of women and children and thus help reduce the infant and maternal mortality rates in the country.
Children’s Corner: What are some of the challenges that children face in your community and its surrounding?
Sarah: Some of the challenges that children face and that prevents them from reaching their full potential include: lack of education, poverty, early child marriage and lack of motivation. Education is important because it opens up doors of opportunities later on in life. For instance, it increases the chances for one to fulfill one’s goals in life and to realise one’s dream. Poverty does prevent children from getting an education, because parents are unable to pay the school fees due to the fact that survival takes a higher priority. There are studies that show that girls who get married at a young age have a lower chance of finishing their education. As a result, some of them are unable to read or write. Furthermore, they are not able to get the jobs that they want. A lack of motivation comes from not understanding the value of an education and how it can help enhance an individual’s life.
Children’s Corner: FGM, continues to be the most sensitive abuse topic in our society and it is a serious human rights abuse in the Gambia. As a student nurse, how will you advocate for its eradication?
Sarah: My focus is more on the education for all children, especially girls. I do believe that to eradicate FGM it starts with education at home. The education should consist of what FGM is and the risks that it can cause. FGM is a practice that is rooted in tradition and has taken place for generations. Consequently, for it to be eradicated, it will take a lot of health education, resources and sensitizing the public about the harmful effects of such traditional practices. Therefore, the families, traditional women, and communities all have to be involved.
Children’s Corner: A woman dies from complications in childbirth every minute – about 529,000 each year — the vast majority of them in developing countries. How can PIMT help to eradicate this?
Sarah: PIMT plans to help reduce the maternal mortality rate by providing the baskets to the pregnant women. This is an incentive for them to go and deliver at the hospital instead of delivering at home. The home births do cause high infant and/ or maternal mortality rates. In addition, PIMT plans on building clinics for women to get information about their health and what to expect during their pregnancy. Furthermore, PIMT plans on providing nutrition (rice, beans) and pre-natal vitamins for the mothers to ensure that the babies and mothers are healthy. In our clinic, we plan on providing education to the mothers and young girls about HIV/AIDs and pregnancy. In addition, we plan on providing mosquito nets for the mothers to help prevent them from getting malaria during their pregnancy. We do NOT have ANY funding right now and my mother is the one paying for the items. When we do have donors we will be able to implement our plans and help more people.
Children’s Corner: On my final question. What intentions or plans do you have in the pipeline with regards to your work as an advocate?
Sarah: My plans as an advocate are for people to be aware of the values of women and how educating them plays a vital role in the community. As the saying goes “If you educate a boy, you educate an individual. If you educate a girl, you educate a community.” So let’s educate girls.
Children’s Corner: Thank You for granting us an interview.
Sarah: The pleasure is mine.
link to the article!
Canada
Patriotic Vanguard
by Abayomi Charles Roberts
Young Sierra Leonean starts US project for needy mothers
By Abayomi Charles Roberts, PV General Editor, Edmonton, Canada | 23 March 2015 at 00:42
Put it down to her genes, her diversified background, her upbringing, or some combination of these. Whatever explains her inspiration, Sarah Musa is resolved to make her mark in communities where girls lag behind boys in accessing basic opportunities.
She is a student at the James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA. There she is in training to become a nurse, yet she can hardly wait to make a meaningful difference. With solid help from both her parents, Joseph and Jestina, Sarah Musa recently set up her own non-profit foundation, called Prospect in Mummy’s Tummy.
The aim of PIMT is to facilitate sustained improvement in the livelihood of girls, by primarily helping their mothers. The approach is multi-faceted, with specific areas like maternity care, infant and child health and basic education for less privileged children. The whole scheme is geared toward leveling the socio-economic field for women no matter where they live.
The current targets are her current home (The United States) and her ancestral homes (Sierra Leone and The Gambia). In principle, PIMT seeks to boost the life chances of women and children, especially girls.
About 12 months ago, Sarah faced the proverbial question “Where do you see yourself in ten years?” This was during an interview for scholarship, in her pursuit of a career in healthcare. Sarah told her interviewers that she hopes to build clinics, as a way to promote maternal and child health in needy communities. Soon after, she recounted this exchange to her parents. Reflecting, Sarah says, her mother Jestina began to urge her into taking action right away. “Why wait ten years to build a clinic, when you can start now?” So the seeds of Prospects in Mummy’s Tummy (PIMT) were sown.
In June 2014, PIMT was officially registered in the United States, as an international non-profit foundation. The organization’s slogan is ‘Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies, and Healthy Nations.’
A pilot approach, to kick start PIMT, has been the free delivery of ‘baskets of love’ to new mothers, and school supplies to children. “We do this in The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and even here (in the USA), to show our love to kids and cheer up new mums. The baskets are each colourfully wrapped, containing items like feeding bottles, blankets, towels, diapers, bibs, and other hygiene products vital in baby care.
Sarah explains: “Some of us take these things for granted, but so many people simply cannot afford them.” The PIMT strategy is to help women, especially those who are pregnant, nursing babies or raising school-age children. The hope is that the organization’s gestures of moral and material support would vicariously benefit the child, the immediate family, and ultimately the community as a whole.
PIMT International opened an office in Banjul in October 2014. It is run by a volunteer, to facilitate the program’s outreach in The Gambia. Efforts are now underway, in spite of nationwide challenges like the Ebola disease, to register the organization and establish a similar outlet in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown.
A pastor and family friend has been helping out there on PIMT’s behalf, informally receiving and presenting kits to Sierra Leoneans. Sarah herself is heart-broken that the Ebola problem in Sierra Leone is still keeping schools closed. She laments: “I feel bad, especially for the girls; because they are now so vulnerable to teenage pregnancy and dropping out.”
To date, PIMT has distributed 100 baby care baskets and 200 school bags (stocked with learning materials) in Sierra Leone. In the Gambia 128 baskets have been given out, with PIMT hosting a Christmas party for children last year. Some 79 baskets have been distributed in the US, with 25 more all set to go out this week. In the near future, the aim is to distribute 400 to 500 baskets and school kits to as many deserving women and children as is feasible.
As to her background, Sarah Musa was born in 1993 in Uelzen, Germany. Her mother Jestina is a Gambian who trained as a teacher in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Her father Joseph Musa is a licensed professional engineer. For four years, international assignments with global agencies like Medicins sans frontiers (MSF) and the Catholic Organization for Relief and Development (CORD Aid) got Joseph working as a water and resources expert, first in Sierra Leone, and later in Great Lakes African countries like Burundi, Rwanda, and The Democratic Republic of Congo.
The family finally resettled in the United States in 2000. Jestina is now a nurse at the Cherrydale Health and Rehabilitation Centre in Arlington, Virginia. Joseph (J-Mus, to his close friends) works at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as an environmental engineer.
In April 2011, Sarah Musa was one of four junior high school students honoured for Diversity Programs, at the 10th annual American Association of University Women (AAUW) Diversity Awards ceremony in Burke, Virginia. The spotlight was in recognition of her advocacy for girls’ education. Sarah is noted to have helped set up a chapter of Girls Learn International (GLI) at West Springfield High School in Virginia, also serving as its president.
An outstanding accomplishment by Sarah and her GLI mates was their raising money to help girls at a partner school in New Delhi, India. Two years later, a book titled ‘Stand Up! 75 Young Activists who Rock the World, and How You ca too!’ featured Sarah Musa. The book was edited and introduced by John Schlimm. In it, Sarah again stood out as an advocate of girls’ education, recognized along with other “young activists who rock the world.”
Already, Sarah has some 400 hours to her credit, as a healthcare volunteer. So it is no surprise she has quite a task, balancing her school work with project operations and humanitarian commitments. To her, candid feedback like the smile of a mother as she receives a ‘baby’s first kit,’ really boost her spirits. Sarah designed the web sitewww.pimtinternational.org, showcasing the organization. On display are colourful photos, and the PIMT depiction of a baby seemingly set for graduation while still in the womb! One other feature of the web site is a poem titled ‘Step by Step,’ and written by Jestina Musa. It is a verse summing up the project’s approach.
Sarah gives all the credit to J-Mus and his wife Jestina, describing her parents as the real co-founders of PIMT International. Not only does the couple fund the project, Jestina usually does the shopping for gift items, while J-Mus takes care of shipping and handling. A basement space in the family’s Virginia home now serves as a temporary office, a store and a sorting area. Yet Sarah has not let this limitation weaken her resolve. “Lack of sponsorship is our biggest challenge,” she affirms, “but we have to keep going.” It is Sarah Musa’s fervent hope that “sooner or later, PIMT’s baby steps will become giant leaps.
Link to the article.
http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/young-sierra-leonean-starts-us-project-for-needy-mothers
Describe your image.
Describe your image.
The Gambia
Charity ready to save lives of vulnerable mothers, babies
by Alagie Manneh
6/2/15
Charity ready to save lives of vulnerable mothers, babies
02/06/2015 12:43:00 By Alagie Manneh
Prospect in Mommy's Tummy International (PIMT) is determined to save lives of babies and shaping precarious futures of needy mothers, and young people in The Gambia, Sierra Leone and the USA.
Registered in The Gambia since 2014, the organisation is helping vulnerable pregnant mothers, babies and young people trought support and donation of children's basic needs, as well as investments in children's education.
At its official launch held at the Paradise Suits hotel in Kololi Saturday, the organisation unveiled 200 packages of what it described as 'Baskets of Love', containing baby items to be delivered across the country, with the aim of delivering 400-500 'Baskets of Love' yearly in The Gambia, Sierra Leone and USA.
First registered as a non-profit organisation, the aim of PIMT, according to organisers, is to facilitate sustained improvement in the livelihood of girls, primarily by helping their mothers. The approach and focus of the group, they disclosed, is multi-faceted, with specific areas like maternity care, infant and child health and basic education for less privileged children. The overall initiative is aimed at levelling the socio-economic field for women no matter where they live.
The founder of the initiative is a young Gambian, Sierra Leonean and a US citizen, Sarah Musa. “Delivery of babies are done by traditional birth attendants at homes in some place, instead of hospitals or health centres. This is a very risky practice that sometimes leads to loss of lives,” she said
“We know that children are the future leaders and investing in them from early stages of their lives is vital for them to make meaningful contributions to their society in the future.”
Sarah, who is training to become a nurse in Madison University, Virginia, said with these donations, her organisation is “showing their “heart-felt love to the newly-born babies.”
She added: “These gifts, which we call baskets of love or babies first kits, contain the essential items that the newly born baby needs upon delivery.
“Our targets are the underprivileged women who cannot afford the basic essential items. We know that due to poverty, especially in some developing countries, some expectant mothers cannot afford even the basic items for their children,” she said.
Born in 1993 in Germany, the young lady, honoured for Diversity Programmes in the USA in 2011, said the provision of routine medical care and visits to health clinics, “will result in healthy moms, healthy babies and healthy nations, which is in accordance with our slogan.”
Meanwhile, the organisation is also making strides in children's education. “The target for this goal is for all children to complete a full course of primary schooling by the year 2015.
“A lot still needs to be done because 58 million children of primary school age are out of school. The majority of these kids out of school are girls.”
To achieve greater progress, Sarah said collective efforts are needed. “Let us all remember that at some stages in our lives, someone we never knew before, made a difference in our lives one way or the other. As the saying goes 'it takes a village to raise a child.'”
link to the article!
http://standard.gm/site/news/7192-Charity-ready-save-lives-vulnerable-mothers-babies.html
Daily Observer
The Gambia
by Jainaba D. Jatta
6/4/15
PIMT launches women's growth project
PIMT launches women’s growth project
Jun 4, 2015
Prospect in Mummy’s Tummy (PIMT) International, a non-profitable organisation was recently launched at a local hotel. The international charity is geared towards the health of the mothers so as to ensure a healthy nation.
The organisation is registered in the Commonwealth of Virginia, USA and The Gambia. With a 501c3 tax-exempt status, it provides assistance to pregnant women or mothers with their newly born babies. PIMT International shows its heartfelt love to the newly born babies by providing them with the necessary and essential items needed on their first day of birth.
Speaking at the occasion, Sarah Musa, president of the organisation, cited the World Health Organisation (WHO) report that about 800 women die every single day from pregnancy or childbirth related complications that are preventable. In 2013, she cited further, 289000 women died during pregnancy and childbirth, figures she noted, are very alarming. “As a matter of fact, most of these deaths occurred in under-developed countries, where there is high rate of child mortality as well as deaths resulting from pregnancy related cases from lack of better medical facilities.”
In some countries, she went on, the delivery of babies are done by traditional birth attendants at homes instead of hospital or health centres, and this she pointed out is a very risky practice that sometimes leads to loss of lives and complication to either the pregnant women, the babies or both.
She informed that the mortality rates are higher in such areas as compared to these areas where delivery is done either at hospitals or at health centres.
“World Health Organisation stated that 99% of the maternal deaths occur in developing countries.
Sarah disclosed that PIMT International shows their heartfelt love to the new babies by donating gifts in baskets to the expectant mothers. She further thanked her parents for their relentless support to PIMT both financially and morally, also packing and shipment of the items from the US to Sierra Leone and The Gambia.
A representative from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Rohey Jammeh, stated that health is a very expensive commodity and cuts across every sector of life.
She therefore stressed that the Ministry of Health cannot do it alone, thus the need for their partners in development to come forward and contribute their quota.
The government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Health, Jammeh informed, has declared free maternal and child health services to all Gambian women and children under-5, adding that such declaration was made to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality.
She stated that the current maternal mortality rate stands at 530 per 100,000-life birth. “The figure is significantly high and unacceptable; a lot of efforts need to be done to reduce the figure to zero percent,” she Jammeh emphasised.
Other speakers included Aja Jallow representing Serrekunda hospital, Joseph Musa and Jestina Musa, parents of Sarah Musa. They all commended the initiative of helping the needy pregnant mothers.
by Jainaba D. Jatta
link to the article!
Local teens promote diversity by Victoria Ross (2011)
