We’re all about babies here at The Right Hand Mom. We have babies, we support women who birth them and we love writing about babies. And, today marks 39 years since I was a baby, so it’s fitting then that today’s M.a.D Monday topic be, you guessed it, babies.
Shanti Uganda is an organization committed to maternal and infant health through what they call, the power of unity to change the world. Shanti Uganda believes that combining traditional birth with modern day best practices they can increase the safety and security of women and children from pregnancy on.
Just read a little of their history here:
The Shanti Uganda Society began with a vision to provide conscious birth training for communities impacted by war, poverty and HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Founded by Natalie Angell-Besseling, a yoga teacher & doula with a background in international development, our first programs began in 2008.
After a trip to Uganda in 2007 volunteering as a doula at a local hospital, Natalie connected with a group of women who were making paper beads in Kampala. This initial meeting led her to Kasana, Luweero where after working with the community, the first women were selected from a group of 600 HIV positive women to form Shanti Uganda’s first Income Generating Group. With the support of our women’s group and the guidance of community members, the organization began the planning stages for a community birth centre.
It’s an incredibly noble and necessary group. The reason their work resonates with me is not just because of the maternal health angle, which is obvious, but because they are built on the idea that the women themselves will be empowered and trained to sustain themselves and the organization as a whole.
The Shanti Uganda programs are designed to empower, not to dole out charity and THAT is what I love. Women are a powerful force, when given just a bit of support. They can do and accomplish and be anything they choose if the opportunity is presented. Women don’t need charity and handouts, they need options and support so that they can make their own way, and Shanti Uganda provides just that. Poke around on their website and you’ll see the income generating groups as well as the training programs they lead. Shanti Uganda is so much to so many and now they need our help.
Because their services are so important, they are expanding what they do and are seeking funding to do just that. Go to the page on Opportunities to Give and see what projects they are undertaking now. They’re expanding and building so they can provide service and hope to more and more. You can be part of that hope. Many of you give monthly to organizations that help heal the world. Please consider Shanti Uganda this month and know you are the solution.
