THIS MOTHER’S DAY HUNDREDS OF MUMS PAY IT FORWARD TO HELP MALAWIAN MOTHERS GIVE BIRTH SAFELY

Ambassador Marina Fogle calls the initiative “best gift ever” as mums and mums-to-be ask for donations to maternal health charity for their Mother’s Day present.

Pregnancy Twinning, an initiative developed by charity Chasing Zero, encourages women in the UK to ‘twin’ themselves with their Malawian counterparts, so that pregnant women in Malawi can receive basic antenatal care. For a donation on £42 the project aims to provide support for one expectant mum which will significantly increase her chance of survival in a country where women are 70 times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than their counterparts in the UK.

Malawi is the poorest country in the world and many women live far away from a hospital with little access to transport. Women miss out on antenatal care and often try to give birth in basic conditions at home.

This Mother’s Day Pregnancy Twinning are calling on pregnant women, their partners and friends to donate to twin a pregnancy as a gift and hundreds have already taken up the charge. One supporter said “[Mum] loved that she had passed on what would have been a Mother's Day gift she really didn't need to another mother who really does."

The full Pregnancy Twinning package costs £42 and pays for eight visits from a Mother Buddy, during pregnancy, delivery and aftercare. A supporter in the UK is allocated a vulnerable expectant mother in Malawi to ‘twin’ with, and then after birth they receive a Pregnancy Twinning certificate and a photo of their ‘mother twin’ with her new born child.

Pregnancy Twinning ambassador Marina Fogle, said, “This scheme isn’t about building shiny new hospitals or giving 3D scans to expectant mothers, it’s about giving a very basic level of care which makes a profound difference. £42 pays for a Mother Buddy to make eight visits and support an often isolated and vulnerable woman during her pregnancy. The Mother Buddy will provide education and advice, ensure she is taking appropriate medication and make a plan for getting her to a clinic to deliver her baby. And this seemingly simple process really does save lives.”

Marina concluded “A lot of women hear a statistic like 70 times more likely to die and think I can’t fix that so I’m going to ignore it, but this is a way of changing that so that we can give thousands of mothers the best Mothers’ Day gift they’ve ever had, a healthy baby born safely.”

To donate or ‘twin’ your pregnancy go to pregnancytwinning.org for more information.