FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HAMILTON, Ontario — (CANADIAN CHRISTIAN NEWS SERVICE) — This Mother’s Day weekend, and throughout the month of May, Canadians are hitting the streets to highlight something that we take for granted: access to a safe pregnancy and childbirth. Communities across the country will host walks to support maternal and child health in the developing world, where the very act of childbirth remains one of the leading causes of death among adolescent girls and women. Led by volunteers, each 5-kilometre walk will raise funds for Save the Mothers (STM) in East Africa.
This year marks the first Walk with new STM Canada Executive Director Deborah Mensah leading the way. “I am encouraged by Canadians who are taking steps to deliver change. We are so lucky in Canada. When its time to deliver our babies, we know that we have access to the best care available. For mothers in the developing world, they are going into a life or death battle,” said Mensah. “Canadians have long-supported Save the Mothers thanks to the inspiring vision and work of founder, and former executive director, Dr. Jean Chamberlain Froese. She continues to champion the work of STM. We are thrilled to have her support for this, our seventh national Walk,” added Mensah.
This year, the teams aim to raise $100,000 to empower East African leaders to improve standards and practices of health care for pregnant women in their communities. “This is a critical need. Maternal death claims the lives of some 300,000 girls and women every year. We are so grateful for those who lead, participate in, and donate to the walks. Without their generous support, we would not be able to reach as many as we do. When it comes to our work in East Africa, we want every day to be a Mother’s Day,” said Mensah.
It is not too late to participate in the walk, or donate to help the teams meet their goal this year. Canadians can register with a local walk, or if they cannot make the walk location or date, they can join in through the netWalk. To register, visit www.WalkForMothersDay.com. At a time of global uncertainty, the annual Mother’s Day Weekend Walks show that that caring citizens can make a difference to wicked global health problems, one step at a time.
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For more information, contact:
Rebecca Collett
communications@savethemothers.org / Ph: 647-773-9034
Or visit: www.WalkForMothersDay.com
Watch the Youtube video.
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