SoroptiVoiceBLOG

Throughout December, we are delighted to welcome SI leadership to the SoroptiVoice blog spot! This week, SIGBI President Maureen presents the new SIGBI Federation project 'The 3E Project: Healthcare', explains how it relates to SI's programme of work under education and leadership, and how it seeks to address maternal mortality in The Gambia through their partner organisation, MCAI. Next Friday SIA President Pat will write for us (23rd), followed by SISWP President Yvonne (30th). Click here to read SIE President Kathy's blog from December 2nd. 

Hello everyone! I am delighted that you are now reading about the new SIGBI Federation Project : "The 3E Project: Healthcare".

What a lot has happened in our organisation over the past 12 months.  I was delighted when it was announced that Soroptimist International’s main programme of work would be under the theme of Education and Leadership.  After all, doesn’t this apply to everyone in our world to-day? 

In Montreal, SIGBI delegates to the programme part of the meeting listened intently and took part in the debate as we firmly believe that the way forward to improve the lives of women and girls is through education, empowerment and the provision of enabling opportunities.  

Although we had a theme, many members were sorry to lose the idea of a collective project. SIGBI then decided to set in place a Federation wide project. I was delighted by this enthusiasm, and so I sought advice and guidance from SIGBI Programme Director Sue Biggs and her team of Assistant Programme Directors. 

Their idea was presented to our Federation Programme Action Committee and the Federation Management Board in Brighton by Sue and Dr Ronda McDonald, Chief Executive of Maternal and Child Health Advocacy International (MCAI).  At both of these meetings, the idea was approved and we agreed to implement  “The 3 E Project: Healthcare”. I was honoured to be able to announce this in my inaugural speech after the Change of Insignia in Brighton, October 2011.  Now the hard work has started, and we have pledged to raise £100,000 each year for the next three years.

This joint venture, 3E Project: Healthcare, focuses on access to appropriate healthcare through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities for the women, children and babies of The Gambia where currently one pregnant woman or girl out of every 49 will die from the complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Furthermore, for every death, another 30 women and girls are left disabled or seriously injured. Our organisations believe that lack of appropriately trained health workers contributes to the problem. For example, in The Gambia there are only five trained midwives for every 1,000 births. As a result, women and girls often face preventable life-threatening situations at all stages of pregnancy, and sadly, many die due to lack of appropriate and timely treatment.

The 3E Project: Healthcare aims to change this appalling situation by creating an effective path of emergency care from the home to the hospital. They plan to do so in 4 ways:

1. Appropriate training of all health care workers so that have the skills to save lives;
2. Adequately refurbishing and equipping health facilites to make them fit for purpose and to enable health staff to do their jobs;
3. Supplying essential drugs and supplies needed for emergency treatment;
4. Establishing emergency ambulance services to take seriously ill patinets to hospitals where they can receive the care they need.

Specifically the project will seek to:

Educate talented and dedicated health workers in The Gambia with training especially designed to be most helpful to those working in resource limited settings;

Empower health workers at all levels to be more effective in their roles.  We will do this through improving health care supplies, equipment and facilities;

Enable seriously ill and injured pregnant women, babies and children to have access to appropriate emergency healthcare as soon as they are in need of these services.

My belief in this project is strong.  I also believe that we will change the lives of others who are so much less fortunate than ourselves. This is the main reason why I joined this wonderful organisation! However, we will only do this if we go forward “Facing the Future Together”.   

For more information, please click here.