The Season of GIVING is here!

The hustle and bustle of Black Friday and Cyber Monday have come and gone. Maybe it kick started some holiday shopping for you while you picked up gifts for loved ones or maybe you used it as an opportunity to purchase a few things for yourself. Now that that’s out of the way, what about helping people who need an extra hand? What about giving?

Today marks the start of the giving season. It’s Giving Tuesday, the one Tuesday in the year that thousands of Canadians give to a cause they care most about. So what is it that YOU care most about? This is the exact question that I’ve been asking myself. Of all the causes and people that I can help, who’s at the top of my list? It’s definitely something that has to do with mothers and children. After becoming a mother myself I’ve realized just how fortunate we are here in Canada. We have tons of amazing programs and support groups during and post pregnancy. We have great health care during our pregnancy and again post. And our children should they need, have one of the best hospitals around. Everything we could possibly need or want is many times just a phone call or short drive away. But it isn’t like this for everyone and that’s what breaks my heart.

About a month ago I was out with some friends and Cuso International was mentioned. I had never heard of Cuso before…what is Cuso? What do they do? What are they all about? Well let me share what I learned about Cuso that night.

Cuso International is an organization that has been around for over 50 years and has been doing some great work in countries all over the world. Countries where people and communities are affected by poverty, exclusion and inequality like Ethiopia. Did you know that more than 80% of women in Ethiopia give birth without a skilled health worker which means that the majority of mothers have no help if they face complications before, during or after giving birth. This could mean serious injury, illness and at times losing their lives. A woman in Ethiopia is 55x more likely to die during childbirth than a woman in Canada. These mothers as well as babies are losing their lives from causes that are easily preventable with the basic health care and resources that we often take for granted here in Canada. Pretty scary right?!

How about this as some food for thought…

In Ethiopia there is 1 doctor for 26,943 people and 1 nurse or midwife for 4,237 people
In Ethiopia maternal mortality rate: 482 out of every 100,000 mothers
In Ethiopia under-five mortality rate: 59 out of every 1,000 births
In Canada there is 1 doctor for 484 people and 1 nurse or midwife for 102 people
In Canada maternal mortality rate: 7 out of every 100,000 mothers
In Canada under-five mortality rate: 5 out of every 1,000 births

Cuso International is making a difference. Their volunteers are going into these countries and offering a wide range of skills, both medical and non-medical. They’re improving the quality of health care in their facilities and are empowering women and men to make informed health decisions. This means that with more training and better hospital protocols, health workers in places like Pawe Hospital (in Ethiopia) can recognize danger signs earlier, treat them faster and help more moms deliver their babies safely.

This is exactly what we need, we need more Cuso International volunteers to help these mothers and children. Seriously, think about it! Could you imagine what it would be like to live in their world for just a minute. To know that you can lose your life or your child lose theirs and for reasons that can be easily avoided is heart wrenching. So this Giving Tuesday, think about Cuso International and help support the Cuso CAN Fund…help save the lives of moms and babies around the world.

This is your chance to make a difference and help a fellow Mamma. To know that you are the reason she got the help, support and care that she needed in her pregnancy and can hold her child safely in her arms is a gift you can give that you can’t put a price tag on. Your monthly gift will be multiplied by 10, providing even more women and children with life saving health care.