Christmas. It is the time of the year when trying to find the perfect gift is on everybody’s mind. Sometimes, a great gift does not need to be wrapped or stuffed in a stocking. The gift of giving can be done by providing help to someone else. Cuso International helps mothers and children who are not able to gain access to health care. Take a look below to see who they are, how they help people and what you can do to show your support to them this holiday season with the Cuso CAN Fund!
The Cuso CAN Fund was created to give the opportunity to support Cuso International high priority maternal and child health projects in Ethiopia, Benin, Tanzania, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
What is the initiative of Cuso International?
In Ethiopia, it has been found that more than 80 percent of women give birth without a skilled heath worker. This leaves the majority of mothers with no help if any complications arise before, during, or after giving birth. The results could be dire for the mother, the baby or both individuals.
Though Ethiopia has been steadily improving access to health care for women and children, this country still has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in Africa. The ability to find doctors, nurses, and midwives, as well as gaining access to a health facility proves to be extremely difficult for women. This is especially true for women who live in remote, rural areas that lack the time, finances, or permission to find professional care. Even if a woman is able to get to a hospital, health workers may not always have the skills or supplies available to give her the quality or compassionate care she may require.
How does Cuso provide help?
With the support Cuso International receives, its volunteers provide the following to the people of Ethiopia:
· Gives a variety of medical and non-medical skills to improve the quality of health care in facilities;
· Empowers women and men to make informed health decisions; and
· Encourages women to find care from trained health professionals.
Canadian doctors and midwives are working together with their Ethiopian counterparts in order to give these support measures.
How can you help this holiday season?
There are two ways you can give to help Cuso International volunteers share their skills in Ethiopia:
1. Providing a small Monthly Donation to continue to give health care to women and children in Ethiopia.
2. Giving a generous One-Time Donation to assist Cuso International in their charitable efforts.
Both options are fabulous ways to help mothers and children who cannot get the health care they need. What is in it for you? Not only are you giving the gift of health care this holiday season, you would also be able to meet tax deadlines on December 31, 2017. Charitable donations made by this date are able to be claimed on your 2017 taxes. It would be a gift that keeps on giving in so many ways for all involved!
Who does Cuso International reach with this initiative?
Cuso International helps the following groups within Ethiopia:
· 8 750 women and children
· 3 130 health workers
· 390 government health staff
· 140 staff of civil society organizations
See here how Cuso International provides help to mothers and children at the Pawe Hospital in Ethiopia.
Take a look at the difference in care women in Canada receive in comparison to those in Ethiopia
Canada:
One doctor for 484 people
One nurse or midwife for 102 people
Maternal mortality rate: 7 out of every 100 000 mothers
Under-five mortality rate: 5 out of every 1 000 births
Ethiopia
One doctor for 26 943 people
One nurse or midwife for 4 237 people
Maternal mortality rate: 482 out of every 100 000 mothers
Under-five mortality rate: 59 for every 1 000 births
Tending to the health of mothers impacts far beyond their own physical well-being. When the health care of women gets support, it also goes towards the social and economic status of their families and communities as well. Healthy mothers are able to better care for their children, and they can find work to contribute to the economy, reduce poverty, and make health and education spending for their families a priority.
So what are you waiting for? Give a monthly or a one-time donation today to Cuso International’s Cuso CAN Fund to make not only the holiday season, but any time of the year a little more joyous for others!
Curious to learn more about what Cuso International does to help around the world? You can visit them on their website or you can connect with them on their Facebook and Twitter pages to find out.
Disclaimer: I was compensated by Cuso International to share this post. The views I shared are my own.
Heartwarming and meaningful cause
amazing 🙂
I have not heard of Cuso International. They do sound like they provide a valuable service and have a worthy cause.
Such a great way to give to someone in need. There should be access to proper health care for everyone!
The statistics you shared are really heart breaking. A very worthy cause indeed.
What a wonderful program. It is great that there are ways we can provide support from afar. I spent 16 weeks volunteering in Togo West Africa and I know how much of an impact these types of programs can have on people!
This is a great worthwhile cause. I always feel for the people and women in particular in those countries that don’t have all the healthcare support that they need.
So important; I cannot believe the mortality rate for women in 2018! And every one deserves proper care while pregnant and/or during delivery. I will have to research this group more… I will look them up on the Canadian Government Registries website.
This is the first time I’ve heard of this cause. It sounds like they are doing wonderful work and improving many lives!