Safe Mothers, Safe Babies

Issue 1: January 2012

SAFE team with health workers at Kyetume Health Center after Solar Suitcase installation.

SAFEs New Domestic 2 Interns!

eRanger program update

Light the Night Program gives light to health centers in Uganda

For two weeks in December, Founder and CEO of Safe Mothers, Safe Babies (SAFE) Jacquie Cutts, SAFE Technical Director Richard Cutts, and SAFE intern Rachel Fisher worked on implementing the Light the Night program in Uganda. The goal Womens of Light the Night is to provide several health centers in Uganda groups are with solar-powered generators Solar Suitcases and Humless 4 thriving units that allow for safer births and ease the stress on midwives and health workers. With rampant power outages occurring across Uganda on a daily basis, these devices are vital to the wellbeing of mothers and their babies during childbirth. To implement the Light the Night program, Safe Mothers, Safe Babies partnered with WE CARE Solar an organization that, like SAFE, works to promote safe motherhood and reduce neonatal mortality in developing regions. The program is funded by a generous $50,000 grant from the Segal Family Foundation. Continued on page 2

Issue #: [Date] Issue 1: January 2012

Dolor Sit Amet Safe Mothers, Safe Babies

(Continued)
Before the implementation of the Light the Night program, when a mother required an emergency caesarian section at night, the surgery was often done by the light of a cell phone. Now, by harnessing the power of the sun during the day through the utilization of Solar Suitcases and Humless units, mothers are able to undergo safer surgeries, which in turn will decrease the rate of infant mortality. Solar units have been installed in several health centers across Uganda including Iganga District Hospital, Ibulanku Health Center, and Bukoteka Health Center, among others. In keeping with SAFEs participatory approach to aid and development, the SAFE team provided training to the health workers at each center for the effective operation of the solar units. Now, even without the SAFE team in Uganda, health workers will have the light they require to provide adequate care and will have the ability to train subsequent workers to use the solar devices. In addition to the clinics at which SAFE regularly works on other maternal and child health projects, SAFE is working with partner organizations AMREF, UNICEF, and the White Ribbon Alliance, to name a few, to further establish a connection with local groups that will Health Workers learning how to operate a provide Solar Suitcase at Kyampisi Health Center. support and advocacy for SAFEs projects. These organizations are part of the support system in Uganda that will help maintain the effectiveness of the solar units, while also spreading awareness of the program, which will, says CEO Jacquie Cutts, increase demand for services by strengthening public perception of the health centers. SAFE is thrilled that the project is already showing positive effects in the health and wellbeing of many individuals. The communities in which Light the Night has been implemented have responded optimistically and have already taken ownership and responsibility of the solar units by promising to join hands in their project. SAFE would like to once more thank the Segal Family Foundation and all its partners for the successful implementation of the Light the Night program.

Jacquie Cutts (CEO and Founder of SAFE) with Dr. Susan Wandera Kayizzi (Deputy Country Director of AMREF Uganda) and Rachel Fisher (SAFE intern).

SAFE welcomes new domestic interns of 20112012!

In September 2011, SAFE gained eleven new domestic interns who have been making great contributions to SAFE projects as well as organizing and taking part in fundraising initiatives from the U.S. International Operations Director: Katherine Meese Administrative Coordinator: Corrine Christison International Internship Director: Ali Winters Jefferson Medical College Internship Coordinators: Caiti White & Melissa Vitolo University of Texas Internship Coordinator: Lauren Hoffman

Continued on page 3
2

Issue #: [Date] Issue 1: January 2012

Dolor Sit Amet Safe Mothers, Safe Babies

eRanger program saving lives by curtailing delays

In the summer of 2011, after three years of hard work, SAFE launched the eRanger motorcycle ambulance program at Ibulanku Health Center in partnership with the Rotary International Foundation and Rotary District 7210 and 9200. In addition to the two eRanger ambulances (which are more fuel-efficient and can maneuver rural areas much more effectively than traditional four-by-four ambulances), the program consists of trained drivers, communities trained in emergency recognition, a cell phone-based dispatch system, and better trained health center staff to receive the mothers in labor. The eRanger motorcycle ambulances currently transport women from rural villages to the Ibulanku Health Center and make transfers between Ibulanku and the Iganga District Hospital. Before the implementation of this program, mothers would often have no choice but to give birth at home in unsafe and unsanitary conditions, as there were few transportation options from rural areas. Now, after only a few months in effect, the eRanger program has saved lives by reducing the delay from the time a mother recognizes she requires medical attention to when she arrives at a health center and receives care. SAFE is working hard to raise awareness of the eRanger program within local communities, which will hopefully widen the programs reach to even more mothers in need.

Photo credit: Anne Sherwood (www.annesherwood.com) (annesherwood.com) (Continued from page 2)

Domestic Internship Program Director: Emily Belnap Communications Manager: Lisa Evans One position of particular importance is the role of the International Operations Director. Katherine Meese is the liaison between the projects in Uganda and logistical organization in the U.S. She manages the incountry Program Manager (Medie Mukalu) to help coordinate in-country projects and assist with grant related work. This involves coordinating what is happening on the ground in Uganda with the U.S. constituents. Katherine Meese was born in Austin, Texas, and graduated from Texas A&M University with a degree in Finance. After graduation, Katherine worked in Rwanda on a microfinance project in the coffee sector. She spent three years working as a financial analyst in the energy industry, in the US and Southeast Asia, before returning to graduate school. Katherine is currently working on her Masters in Public Health at the University of Texas School of Public Health, with a focus on global health and energy poverty. Katherine comments on her experience thus far: I have enjoyed working with Medie to help accomplish SAFE goals in-country. He is a talented and passionate Program Manager and we are lucky to have him! I have also enjoyed watching the SAFE team work hard to establish new projects, such as the large solar initiative. I am impressed by what a small group of passionate men and women can accomplish when dedicated to creating healthy communities!
3

Buy coffee and support SAFE!

SAFE is partnered with Grounds4Good, a non-profit committed to community transformation through coffee. Check out their website and buy some amazing organic, Fair Trade coffee at:

http://grounds4good.com/#/buy-coffee
3

Issue #: [Date] Issue 1: January 2012

Dolor Sit Amet Safe Mothers, Safe Babies

SAFE motherhood together

SAFE has been working with several womens groups on developing initiatives that promote safe motherhood and healthy communities. This project began last summer when SAFE was awarded a $500 seed grant from DoSomething.org (a non-profit that supports new community action projects), which helped two new womens groups to form in collaboration with SAFE. Additionally, with this grant, SAFE has provided many womens groups with safe motherhood training; worked with groups to produce health education dramas; and trained womens groups in organic farming and provided them with passion fruit and

Kalalu Womens Voice (womens group) welcoming SAFE. Photo credit: Katherine Meese

SAFE launches new website

Safe Mothers, Safe Babies has a new website! The new website is more interactive and offers opportunities to reach out to SAFE on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, and the SAFE blog updated by SAFE's Communication Manager and Board Members. The website provides basic information about SAFE as an organization as well as updates about current SAFE initiatives. Safe Mothers, Safe Babies would like to say a big thank you to Richard Cutts for the designing the new website.

Bugya Bukye and KAMEDE mens groups participating in safe motherhood training.

sweet potato seeds from which they are able to grow and sell produce to support and sustain their groups. Moreover, SAFE has provided group management and business training to seven groups; trained two health centers in neonatal resuscitation; and has implemented a wonderful home-to-home visitation program. This project is incredibly effective and sustainable in that it has educated more than 200 women and men in safe motherhood practices and general health knowledge, who will in turn educate around 4,000 people in their communities. The organic farming project will be particularly beneficial for communities in that it will improve the nutrition of many families, while also reducing the number of those sickened from the improper and unsafe usage of pesticides. Furthermore, the womens groups are not the only ones to show interest for safe motherhood practices. SAFE has also been working with several mens groups to involve them in helping to care for the young children and have more of a direct responsibility in the child-rearing process. Thank you to DoSomething for supporting SAFE initiatives!

http://www.safemotherssafebabies.org/

Safe Mothers, Safe Babies gives a huge thank you to all of our donors and friends for supporting us in achieving our goal of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality through demand-driven, collaborative, sustainable, and scalable means. Your support really does make a difference in the lives of many. Created by Lisa Evans, SAFE Communications Manager 4