Mercy In Action

“Around 11 Filipino mothers die everyday or an estimated 4,500 every year due to severe hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, sepsis and problems related to obstructed labor and abortion. At the same time, a child born in a developing country is almost 14 times more likely to die during the first month of life than a child born in a developed one.” ~ UNICEF

Imagine, for a moment, that you are 40 weeks pregnant. You are so excited to be close to your due date, but also nervous about the challenges of labor & delivery. The contractions start, and you can’t believe it’s finally happening. As the pain builds, and the waves of contractions come closer and closer together, you rush to the hospital. By the time you arrive, you are exhausted, and relieved to be surrounded by medical professionals.

But no, they say. You can’t deliver here! You don’t have enough money to pay for our help. Sorry, you have to leave!

Can you fathom being turned away at the ER? Can you imagine standing outside a hospital, in labor, all alone, as the pain of contractions brings your baby ever closer to birth? What would you do if you had nowhere to go, and no one to help you?

In the Phillipines, many women are turned away from hospitals for their lack of income. (The medical establishment of their country is privately-owned; only those who can pay for professional care actually receive it!) Often, these women go home and try to give birth on their own, sometimes with only a husband or family member to help. Many pregnant women are anemic; this can lead to hemmoraging during labor, and death from excessive bleeding. An IV of the proper fluids would save their lives! Sometimes, it’s the babies who die, during labor or not long after, for lack of medical help or sanitary surroundings.

Unicef estimates that in the Philippines the Maternal Mortality ratio is 230 deaths per 100,000 live births. In the United States the Maternal Mortality ratio is only 17 deaths per 100,000 live births. This means that if you live in the Philippines, you are thirteen times more likely to die during childbirth. Often these deaths are because the woman delivered at home without a skilled birth attendant.

In 1992, Vicki & Scott Penwell established Mercy In Action, setting up free birth centers & midwifery clinics in the Phillipines. Mercy In Action trains “midwives, nurses, medics and support personnel to provide compassionate health care throughout the developing world…” Over 12,000 babies have been delivered, free of charge, in their birth centers! Medical personnel travel through the mountains and jungles to remote villages, treating illnesses, delivering medicine, assisting births, and saving lives.

Our dear friends Rose & Ian Penwell (Ian is Scott & Vicki’s son) recently moved back to Boise after many years of work in the Phillipines, delivering babies and offering medical assistance in towns and villages across the country. Next Spring, they will be moving back overseas to join Vicki & Scott and continue their work, now with three small children in tow. They are a passionate, inspiring family who have committed their hearts, their time, and their medical training to those in need!

I am proud to support Mercy In Action and their work to help the poor in the Phillipines. When you hire my styling services, you are also donating to this amazing organization! Check out their website, and be inspired by the huge impact this small group of people has had on the lives of so many women, children, and men!

www.mercyinaction.com

Hugs,

Tanya