Fondation Senegal Sante Mobile is having a fundraiser on October 29th. The Foundation was established by a friend of mine, Shara Rosen, to provide healthcare to Senegal’s most disadvantaged populations. Her medical background has made her well aware of the need for basic medical care in the developing world. Shara is a brilliant writer and has been a dedicated volunteer for American Jewish World Services in Senegal.
Location: Hotel Ruby Foo’s Singapour Room (7655 Decairie Blvd)
Description: Multicultural Dinner – Fundraiser for Fondation Senegal Sante Mobile
With Music and Parables in English, French, Wolof & Yiddish
RSVP by contacting info@senegalsantemobile.org
Start Time: 19:00
Date: 2011-10-29
+info: senegalsantemobile.org
The Fondation has accepted to furnish and support a birthing centre that is part of Gorom 1’s health complex. The centre serves some ten villages and about 40,000 people. This pilot project will serve as a template that could be replicated throughout Senegal. The birthing centre will offer prenatal and postnatal care to reduce the level of child mortality, which is now at approximately 151 per 100,000 live births in Senegal.
By comparison, the rate of child mortality (0-1 years) in Canada is 5 per 100,000 live births. Furthermore, for every woman who dies from causes due to pregnancy, there are about 20 to 30 more who suffer from short and long term effects of unmanaged pregnancies, such as obstetric fistula, ruptured uterus or salpingitis. Prolonged difficult births can result in obstetric fistula, which makes women incapable of controlling their bladder and rectum, which causes them to be ostracized in their villages.
But these are just statistics. There are women and children behind this number that desperately need quality maternal and child care services.
More importantly, in 2012, the Foundation will bring these prenatal services to the villages by way of nurse-animators that will work with village women to educate them on hygiene and nutrition and screen them for anemia, diabetes and hypertension.
This is a worthy project, and the evening of storytelling in English, French, Wolof and Yiddish sounds like great fun!
Hope to see you there.
Edit: The event was a great success! Thanks for coming out to support this worthy cause. Here are the photos from the event, which are now also all on our Facebook page.