Making a miracle

OneMama needs our help!

I got this message from Siobhan this morning:

I feel like a bit of a failure. I have failed to raise the money I need to get everything for the clinic to see us through for the next 6 months. I am short $2,000.

It takes about $9,000 to $10,000 every 6 months to get all the birthing supplies and medicines, medical supplies, malaria tests and treatments, and then pay logistical and legal fees. Since so many NGOs are closing down now, our clinic is seeing an increase in people and we are not equipped. $2,000 will supply the bare minimum to get us through until January.

I know God will provide. It is just hard sometimes to know where to push and where to be still in God's will. I know I can't do it all, but it's not always that simple when people's lives are at risk.

In case you're not yet familiar with her work, my friend Siobhan is the founder of OneMama, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing resources and awareness to the plight of women in impoverished, rural communities. She has begun this noble work with a pilot program in Uganda, and has opened a birthing clinic where women can go to have their babies in safe and clean conditions, as well as receive pre-natal and post-natal care.

I strongly urge you to check out OneMama's website and learn more about the movement that Siobhan has begun in Uganda. It is wholly inspiring. So it hurt my heart a little today to see her message that she feels like a failure.

$2,000 is not that much money. Not when it's split amongst many people.

Can you donate $5 to OneMama today? Go to www.onemama.org/give and click on Direct Donations to help Siobhan keep her clinic open.

I'm asking people to give just $5 because it's a small sum of money that, multiplied by a few hundred people, can make a huge difference. If you're moved to give more, please do. And please, help me spread the word. Link your Facebook or Twitter account to this post, or to OneMama's website. Tell your friends. This is a very achievable goal, and we can make a miracle happen for a woman who's making miracles happen for women everywhere.

Thank you for your help!

OneMama

My friend Siobhan is changing the world. She is starting with Uganda.

Siobhan is the founder of OneMama, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing resources and awareness to the plight of women in impoverished, rural communities.

In Uganda, approximately 95% of the women have their babies with local midwives, rather than at a hospital. Pregnant women walk for miles to reach the midwife's hut, to give birth in conditions like this:


They come empty-handed, because they are poor. They often arrive hungry. The midwife uses her own supplies and many times feeds her clients from her own food supply, so that they will have the strength to give birth.

Siobhan is on a mission to bring aid to these amazing women, most immediately in the form of supplies. She boarded a plane for Africa two weeks ago with a load of birthing kits, solar equipment and computers.

"It really has been quite comical watching me try to carry all these extra bags with supplies all over the world," she wrote to her Glide family. "You should see the looks...Like they were all filled with extra shoes or something."

(In addition to being a hero, Siobhan is a total babe with fashion sense, so you can imagine the kinds of looks she's getting.)

She sent another email a few days ago:

"I have now been in Uganda for about 4 or 5 days. I have lost track of time here. It is taking some time for me to adjust back to this life with no real access to the outside world. It's like being completely unplugged from any kind of life we know in our part of the world.

I am sleeping next to Jamira, the midwife for OneMama, in her room with her, right next to the birthing area. I have to admit the first couple nights were a little rough. Jamira gets up at all hours of the night to help the local women give birth when they come calling.

The conditions are in great contrast to what we are used to in the States. Even though I have been here before it is still hard to adjust to living like this. There is no running water, but I do get a bucket to bathe with hot boiled water every day. There are also no power sources of any kind to utilize for lights or to power electronics. We use fires, candles, or solar flashlights. I have brought a solar generator and solar panels from the US, but they have not yet proved to be successful. It is supposed to take up to 48 hours to charge. So we will see...

Jamira... She is so sweet and she was so happy when I showed up with my supplies and showed her the work we have done so far. She just grabs my hand every chance she gets and says 'webale' over and over... This means 'thank you'. I really don't know what to say, so I nod and say it back and smile."

Have you ever been privileged enough to know someone who's really doing good in this world? I'm not exaggerating when I say that this girl is one of my heroes. The weirdest part is that she's also my friend. She sings in the choir with me. She's just a regular person, but she's living on another level.

One day she seemed a little down, so I asked her if anything was wrong. And she replied - in total seriousness - "I'm just exhausted from my fabulous life!"

Don't you love it?

Siobhan, you're beautiful. You make the world a better place.

Rock on, Mama.

To learn more about OneMama and how you can help, check out www.onemama.org.