Helping Mums in Africa

Helping Mums in Africa
October 1, 2019 Nicola
health poverty action

FittaMamma is delighted to be supporting the charity Health Poverty Action’s Happy Mums, Happy Tums Appeal working with pregnant and new mothers in rural Sierra Leone.

health poverty action

Knowing what to feed your baby can be impossible if you have never been given the knowledge and support you need. It can be even harder if you don’t have the money to buy varied and nutritious food for your family.
Health Poverty Action’s ‘Happy Mums, Happy Tums’ appeal provides training for Community Health Workers respected members of the community who can aid people to seek medical advice from the nearest health clinic, and are trained by Health Poverty Action to the spot early signs of health issues such as malnutrition. Through the appeal, these Community Health Workers will give new mums and mums-to-be the nutritional knowledge they need so that their babies have the best start in life.  They will have a pivotal role in identifying and referring malnourished children and pregnant women to health services.
Health Poverty Action will also help local communities take advantage of the most nutritious, locally grown food by setting up community vegetable gardens and giving cooking demonstrations to mums-to-be. Families will be provided with breeding pairs of chickens, goats and sheep so communities have a continuous source of food and can share the livestock with families in need.
All donations, up to £2 million, made to support this appeal between October 1st – December 31st 2019 will be doubled by the UK government, pound for pound – a fantastic boost to fund-raising endeavours, enabling the charity to support twice the number of mums and make double the impact to families in Sierra Leone. Match funding from the UK government will go directly to the Happy Mums, Happy Tums project.   Donations will support Health Poverty Action’s work where it’s needed most.

Fatu is 22 years old and her daughter, Ami, is two years old. They live in a rural area of northern Sierra Leone, where Health Poverty Action have been working with the community for some time.
Fatu explains how a year ago, Ami was very sick with malnutrition. “She got sick, she lost weight and I had to bring her to the health centre.” The health clinic worked with Fatu to suggest nutritional food that she could afford, and that Ami would eat.
By working together, Ami was able to get better. “They told me to wash my hands properly before giving Ami her food, and to give Ami peanuts in the morning and evening… without this service, I would have lost my child.” In the future Fatu hopes that Ami will be educated and have a good job, like a nurse or a minister in the government.

fatu health poverty action

Examples of how the money will be spent:

  • £6 will provide a family with a pair of chickens, to supply eggs and chicks to share with other vulnerable families.
  • £18 will provide 10 undernourished children with the emergency food needed to improve their health.
  • £54 will provide one community health worker with the training and resources needed to promote nutrition in their communities.

Can you help?  Click here to donate

Join us in Shoreditch, London on November 13th

FittaMamma will be attending Health Poverty Action’s Happy Mums, Happy Tums Event on the 13th November, celebrating mums all over the world.
The event will be hosted by a well-known social media influencer and YouTube phenomenon, Dad v Girls, and you’ll get the opportunity to meet some of the UK’s most followed parenting social media influencers. Guests will be treated to yummy canapés from a MasterChef finalist, plus you’ll receive complimentary drinks and a goodie bag full of fabulous gifts.
You’ll also get a chance to meet some of the UK’s most followed social media influencers, have the opportunity to speak to some of the top baby brands in the UK and try out their products, including FittaMamma, and listen to a panel of parent experts!
To book your ticket and find out more about the event click here!
For more information about Health Poverty Action (the charity behind the appeal), visit their website: https://www.healthpovertyaction.org/. For more information on UK Aid Match: https://www.ukaidmatch.org/