Save my mother and me!

On 13 August, Muslimaat and Muslim Aid hosted their Annual Charity Iftar at the Waterlily Banqueting Suite in Whitechapel, East London. At Our Mothers' Feet were there with a stall and our brand new exhibition (watch out for this in your local mosque later in the year!).

This year's event, entitled "Heart of Malawi", aimed to fundraise at least £20,000 for a maternal health clinic in Malawi. Through ticket sales, donations and the money raised through a vibrant auction, the event actually managed to raise nearly triple the target amount!  Well done to all involved!

Sub-Saharan Africa as a whole bears the burden of 313,000 maternal deaths every year – that's around 87% of global maternal deaths.  Malawi itself has one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world, with 510 women dying for every 100,000 live births. That means that a Malawian woman of reproductive age (between 15 and 45) has a 1 in 36 chance of dying as a result of complications or illnesses in pregnancy or childbirth.

The Malawi project, run by Muslim Aid, will involve refurbish an existing building to create an operating maternal health clinic in a village in Malawi that is in great need of affordable maternal health services.  The money raised at the Heart of Malawi event will go towards equipment, essential medicines and staff costs, enabling the clinic to run for at least a year.

For more information on the project please contact Muslim Aid directly.