A Single Mum In Cameroon
One of the UK’s most influential mummy bloggers recounts a recent trip to Africa with Pampers and Unicef.
Rosie Scribble, one of the UK’s most influential mummy bloggers, recently joined Pampers and UNICEF on a field trip to Cameroon to see firsthand how the two organisations’ “ 1 pack = 1 life-saving vaccine” partnership is helping the country work towards eliminating maternal and newborn tetanus (MNT) and to document the field trip on her parenting blog. Here, she recounts her first trip to Africa.
So how does a single mum from the Midlands find herself sitting in a mud hut, in a remote village in Africa, talking to a group of mothers about their lives? That was the question I asked myself in a hotel room, 3,000 miles from home.
Handing over responsibility for my seven year old daughter to her grandparents before setting off for Cameroon proved liberating; travelling to a developing country so very different from my own is something that will stay for me for a long time.
What the campaign is all about
Pampers and UNICEF joined forces in 2006 to help raise funding for vaccines to protect women and their babies against MNT. The partnership has reached 21 countries in two continents, helping to protect the lives of 100 million vulnerable women and babies. During my time in Cameroon I was able to see the campaign in action and visit some of the communities it has helped.
Life in rural Africa
Throughout the trip I constantly compared the lives of the women I met to my own. It was hard to imagine living such a basic existence without access to running water, a fridge or even electricity and I came away with great respect for the families living like that every day. I was impressed by their strong community spirit and felt great admiration towards the women who cared for their families, managed the housework and also worked the land.
Watching the children play, they seemed no different from my daughter and her friends – adventurous, lively and occasionally falling out.
One little boy proudly showed me, with a beaming smile, the wooden car he had made, and the little girl, who smiled mischievously at me wearing bright pink lipstick, reminded me of my own daughter.
The success of the campaign so far
Despite the remote locations we visited and the obvious poverty, the message about MNT was getting through to these villages. The women understand the dangers of the disease and increasing numbers are coming forward to be vaccinated.
The need for those vaccinations was also evident. I found the conditions in which women give birth alarming. The hospitals were stark, with minimal equipment and no pain relief. Those giving birth at home faced an even greater risk of infection.
Supporting the campaign – just a click away
Although we saw some of the successes the campaign has enjoyed in Cameroon, it was equally obvious how much work there is to be done. MNT still needlessly threatens the lives of 170 million and their newborn babies in 40 countries.
Pampers and UNICEF are committed to working together until the global elimination goal is reached and now they are making it easy for everyone to get involved.
This year, with the click of a mouse, everyone can help save a life. On the Pampers Village website, by clicking on the Big Kiss button, a ‘virtual kiss’ will be sent to Pampers and UNICEF. Each ‘virtual kiss’ will generate an additional donation to UNICEF from Pampers.
Also look out for Pampers products with the “1 pack = 1 life-saving vaccine” logo. For every product purchased, Pampers will donate the cost of one vaccine to UNICEF.
Links:
http://rosiescribble.typepad.com
http://www.pampers.co.uk/en_GB/bigkiss