Sister Mercy Asiedua - experienced and dedicated to her community of mothersToday a team of MamaYe advocacy and communication specialists descended upon the Duakwa Salvation Army clinic, in Agona Swedru district, to the west of Accra. We were there to learn more about how to best use photography and human interest stories to engage our audiences on the MamaYe websites, as well as on facebook. Although Lucy, Marion, Nii and Derrick of the MamaYe Ghana team had gone to considerable trouble to ensure that the clinic was aware of our impending visit, I am sure we caused quite a stir. The young mothers waiting in the reception area were at first a little stunned by our turnout.Nii quickly explained that we would dearly like to photograph them and their babies, and assured them that in return we would print the photographs, and post them back to the clinic, so that the women would have the photo of themselves and their baby to keep. They responded with great warmth. Soon Fatou Wurie, from the MamaYe Sierra Leone team had the women chanting MamaYe! MamaYe!...and the call was to follow us around on our visit.There were eight of us, from different parts of the MamaYe world, including MamaYe Nigeria, MamaYe Sierra Leone, MamaYe Malawi, MamaYe Tanzania and the UK-based Options team. .We were led and hosted by the wonderful Gilbert Germain, who works closely with MamaYe Ghana, and runs a marvellous charity that campaigns amongst young people, with a particular focus on young women and their reproductive and maternal health rights. His charity is appropriately named the “Young andLonesome” foundation. As I thought about his work, I remembered myself as a young teenager - ever so young, and ever so lonesome…and marvelled at his dedication and commitment to young people at the most disturbing stage of their adolescent lives, when so much about their bodies are changing. In the clinic we met Sister Mercy – who was once a Traditional Birth Attendant, but who is now a fully trained maternal health practitioner. Sister Mercy runs the superbly maintained, if under-resourced maternal health clinic in Duakwa. We loved photographing her strong, character-ful face, and fortunately she was very happy to be photographed too.She guided us through her calm, well-maintained clinic. Although she was clearly proud of her work and her team – they deliver 30- 40 babies a week - she bemoaned the fact that the beds for mothers in labour were so old and tatty. As we left Nii handed over MamaYe t-shirts, and immediately Sister Mercy donned one. The image of her standing there, waving at us in her t-shirt, will stay with me for some time. Thank you Sister Mercy, for all you do. You are a MamaYe champion.
Sister Mercy Asiedua - experienced and dedicated to her community of mothersToday a team of MamaYe advocacy and communication specialists descended upon the Duakwa Salvation Army clinic, in Agona Swedru district, to the west of Accra. We were there to learn more about how to best use photography and human interest stories to engage our audiences on the MamaYe websites, as well as on facebook. Although Lucy, Marion, Nii and Derrick of the MamaYe Ghana team had gone to considerable trouble to ensure that the clinic was aware of our impending visit, I am sure we caused quite a stir. The young mothers waiting in the reception area were at first a little stunned by our turnout.Nii quickly explained that we would dearly like to photograph them and their babies, and assured them that in return we would print the photographs, and post them back to the clinic, so that the women would have the photo of themselves and their baby to keep. They responded with great warmth. Soon Fatou Wurie, from the MamaYe Sierra Leone team had the women chanting MamaYe! MamaYe!...and the call was to follow us around on our visit.There were eight of us, from different parts of the MamaYe world, including MamaYe Nigeria, MamaYe Sierra Leone, MamaYe Malawi, MamaYe Tanzania and the UK-based Options team. .We were led and hosted by the wonderful Gilbert Germain, who works closely with MamaYe Ghana, and runs a marvellous charity that campaigns amongst young people, with a particular focus on young women and their reproductive and maternal health rights. His charity is appropriately named the “Young andLonesome” foundation. As I thought about his work, I remembered myself as a young teenager - ever so young, and ever so lonesome…and marvelled at his dedication and commitment to young people at the most disturbing stage of their adolescent lives, when so much about their bodies are changing. In the clinic we met Sister Mercy – who was once a Traditional Birth Attendant, but who is now a fully trained maternal health practitioner. Sister Mercy runs the superbly maintained, if under-resourced maternal health clinic in Duakwa. We loved photographing her strong, character-ful face, and fortunately she was very happy to be photographed too.She guided us through her calm, well-maintained clinic. Although she was clearly proud of her work and her team – they deliver 30- 40 babies a week - she bemoaned the fact that the beds for mothers in labour were so old and tatty. As we left Nii handed over MamaYe t-shirts, and immediately Sister Mercy donned one. The image of her standing there, waving at us in her t-shirt, will stay with me for some time. Thank you Sister Mercy, for all you do. You are a MamaYe champion.