Black History Month is not only an opportunity to remember people and events shaping our past, but also a time to reflect on—and challenge—the current contradictions facing African communities.
The disproportionately high death rates amongst African mothers and babies makes infant and maternal health one of the most critical threats to the future of African families the world over.
The All African People’s Development and Empowerment Project (AAPDEP) is holding a tour during Black History Month to increase awareness of this neglected issue, while also generating resources for a clinic in Sierra Leone, which suffers from the highest global rates of maternal mortality.
The statistics are shocking and indisputable, yet often remain unreported.
Women in sub-Saharan Africa face a maternal mortality rate a hundred times greater than that of “developed” countries and nearly one in ten infants will not to live to the age of one year.
And black women in the US are four times more likely to die of pregnancy related complications than their white counterparts, with black babies dying at more than twice the rate of white infants.
Headlining the tour will be Nurse Mary Koroma. Nurse Mary has dedicated her life to saving those of mothers and babies in her native Sierra Leone.
She is a certified Nurse Midwife who stepped down from her secure position in a government hospital to work within the communities most in need.
With few able to even afford what passes as government healthcare, she witnessed expectant women and infants senselessly dying and suffering, as the massive wealth of Sierra Leone that could provide quality health care is looted.
As a nurse midwife, whose job it is to save lives and bring new life into the world, she could no longer be a part of an apparatus that contributed to the deaths of thousands of women and children.
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Motivated by self-determination and willingness to use her skills for the purpose they were intended for, Nurse Mary erected a make shift clinic in an Allentown Community.
Her facility is just sticks, dirt floor and a straw bed but she cares for the people who cannot access government hospitals.
She has delivered over 3000 babies in her career and is a continued resource to her community; a community that not only depends on her for infant and maternal care but also for general medical care.
Nurse Mary recognizes that the problem of infant and maternal mortality is too wide spread to solve alone.
With access to skilled health personnel so limited in Sierra Leone, many families rely on traditional birth attendants who often do not have the training to adequately deal with complications.
In addition to the work in her Allentown clinic, Nurse Mary provides support and training to a network of birth attendants in order to ensure that as many women as possible have access to the care they deserve.
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In order to further develop her capacity to serve the women and babies in her community, AAPDEP is bringing Nurse Mary to the US to undergo training at The Birth Place, a birthing center which is owned and operated by African midwife, Jennie Joseph.
Jennie has developed a midwifery model of care which has become renowned for improving birth outcomes and helping women reach full-term with healthy babies.
Here, Nurse Mary will learn the basic techniques that could mean the difference between life and death for mothers and babies in the villages where she works.
Nurse Mary will then return to Sierra Leone to pass on this knowledge to her network of birth attendants.
Get involved:
AAPDEP recognizes that African self-determination is key to challenging this situation, where African mothers and babies are needlessly dying during a process which is meant to give life.
Unlike charity organizations which only treat the symptoms of imperialism all of AAPDEP’s work is tied into the wider struggle for African control of Africa’s resources.
AAPDEP is spearheaded by Africans for Africans and organizes the trained sector of the African population to use their skills for the development of our Africa and African communities everywhere.
There are a number of ways you can share your skills and resources for the benefit of African mothers and babies:
- Support the building of the maternity clinic by making a donation at http://developmentforafrica.org/donate.shtml
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Attend the tour to learn more about the issues or contact info@developmentforafrica.org to add a date (tour dates below).
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Work with AAPDEP to organize a fundraising drive within your school, work place or community.
- Become an AAPDEP member and utilize your professional training for the benefit of all African people.
Please contact info@developmentforafrica.org or call 256-281-1344 for further information.
Learn more about AAPDEP’s work at www.developmentforafrica.org
Visit http://thebirthplace.org/ to explore Jennie Josephs work
Tour Dates:
Sunday, Feb 13th
AAPDEP DC Hosts
St. Stephen's Church, Dining Hall
1525 Newton Street NW
Washington , DC
4:30pm – 6:00pm
AAPDEP DC Hosts
St. Stephen's Church, Dining Hall
1525 Newton Street NW
Washington , DC
4:30pm – 6:00pm
Wednesday, Feb 16th
Family Health and Birth Center & Developing Families Center
Developing Families Center
801 17th Street NE
Washington DC
6:45pm – 8:30 pm
Family Health and Birth Center & Developing Families Center
Developing Families Center
801 17th Street NE
Washington DC
6:45pm – 8:30 pm
Thursday, Feb 17th
Fundraising Dinner at Little Ethiopia Restaurant
1924 9th Street, NW
Fundraising Dinner at Little Ethiopia Restaurant
1924 9th Street, NW
Washington, DC
5:30pm – 10:00pm
5:30pm – 10:00pm
Thursday, Feb 24th
Harambee Charter School
638-640 N. 66th Street
Philadelphia, PA
check website for update on time
Harambee Charter School
638-640 N. 66th Street
Philadelphia, PA
check website for update on time
Thursday, Feb 24th
Uhuru Furniture & APEDF
William Way Community Center
1315 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
7:00pm
Uhuru Furniture & APEDF
William Way Community Center
1315 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA
7:00pm
Saturday, Feb 26th
Buds of Hope Academy
372 South Orange Avenue
Newark, NJ
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Buds of Hope Academy
372 South Orange Avenue
Newark, NJ
2:00pm – 4:00pm
Sunday, Feb 27th
Holy Ghost Missionary Baptist Church
203 West Northside Drive
Clinton, MS
during two services
8:00am and again at 11:00am
Holy Ghost Missionary Baptist Church
203 West Northside Drive
Clinton, MS
during two services
8:00am and again at 11:00am
Thursday, March 10th
Huntsville, Alabama
check website for updates
Huntsville, Alabama
check website for updates
Sunday, March 13th
St. Petersburg Flordia
check website for updates
St. Petersburg Flordia
check website for updates
Saturday, March 19th
African Student Conference
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
African Student Conference
Embry Riddle Aeronautical University
