Prime Minister’s wife meets with schoolgirls focused on maternity mortality

December 18, 2009 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: News

The Prime Minister’s wife Sarah Brown met with four Bradford schoolgirls who have worked to raise awareness for the need of ante- and post-natal care in the Third World.

Four schoolgirls from St. Joseph’s College in Bradford, West Yorkshire have been congratulated by Sarah Brown at Downing Street, praising them for their work to aid women in Africa with maternity care. It’s estimated that more than half a million women worldwide die from pregnancy complications each year.

Megan Crowley, Katie Dearden, Kimi Omolokun, and Isabella Ricordo began their efforts when they decided to enter a national business competition. The group decided that they wanted to focus their efforts on maternal mortality in Third World countries for the competition, ran by Partners in Innovation Limited.

The girls designed a “Pack for Mums and Babies”, a virtual package of items that would aid women in places like Africa before and after childbirth. For 30 pounds, a water filtration kit, mosquito net, essential medicines, and even training for a birth attendant would become available to a woman in a Third World country.

The girls won the competition in July 2008, but they weren’t content with stopping there. They approached charity Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) about their virtual pack and how to make it a reality. CAFOD went on to adopt the girls’ idea, offering the virtual packs as part of their World Gifts catalog for 2009. The charity also encouraged the girls to visit Africa.

In September this year, the girls went to Nigeria with CAFOD’s Leeds manager Margaret Siberry, paying visits to local villages and health care facilities to witness first-hand what issues young women faced. What they saw inspired them further.

“We all want to go back to Nigeria after we’ve done our GCSEs and A Levels, and coming to Downing Street today has shown that we really can do it, make a difference, and we’ve got to continue with that,” said student Katie Dearden. “We want to raise more money, and to sell more virtual packs.”

During the ceremony with the schoolgirls, Sarah Brown, a patron of the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, said: “I am incredibly impressed by the determination, commitment and compassion each of these girls has shown and their actions are already making a real difference to women’s lives. Tackling maternal mortality is an issue that is very close to my heart and the packs these girls have devised are simple, effective way for anyone to show their support for mums and babies this Christmas.”

Kimi Omolokun reflected on what the group had achieved so far, saying: “Eighteen months ago we were just friends with an idea at school. Now we’ve worked with an international aid agency, traveled to Nigeria, raised over £50,000 and to be invited to Downing St is unbelievable. It’s so inspirational to meet Mrs. Brown, and to find out about the type of work she does that gets us towards our shared goal of saving lives”.

The virtual pack can be found on CAFOD’s Web site and can be bought for 30 pounds.