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St John International

St John International volunteer Lazarus was there when Jacob needed him

We are St John Inter-national. With your help, we’re improving community healthcare around the world.

We are a force for good driven by volun-teers, motivated by our desire to improve our own communities.

We believe in people doing good for other people, brought together in a common goal for improving community healthcare around the world.

We involve the com-munity through local volunteers using sustainable education and training, and provide essential equipment where

needed to help self-sufficiency.

We are diverse throughout the world, responding to the needs of localcommunities.

This pack focusses on the work St John

International is doing to save mothers and babies in the most dangerous places in the world for child birth.

To find out morevisit www.stjohninternational.orgphone +44 (0) 207 251 3292email info@orderofstjohn.org

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Each year over 300,000 women and 1 million newborn babies die from maternal health and newborn complications.

The simple fact is that most of these deaths can be prevented through the presence of healthcare volunteers within communities who can provide basic healthcare check-ups,

advice and support.

With your help, the St John International Mother and Baby programme can stop needless deaths.

By focussing on community led health programmes across Sub-Saharan Africa in Kenya, Ma-lawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, we can save countless lives.

St John International trains and mobilises local people to work in communities and at local health clinics.

Our volunteers improve the health of mothers and babies by teaching women about nutrition and antenatal check-ups, preparing for labour and the birth. Their community outreach educates men on the vital role they have in ensuring women have access to the healthcare they require.

We have mobile clinics in some regions to bring healthcare facilities and professionals closer to the people that need it. most.

To find out morevisit www.stjohninternational.orgphone +44 (0) 207 251 3292email info@orderofstjohn.org

Saving the lives of Mothers and Babies

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“He was ourBeacon of Hope”St John International volunteer Lazaruswas there when Jacob needed him

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Baby Jacob from Zambia came within days of dying of starva-tion. His life was saved by Lazarus, a St John International volun-teer, who leapt into action after he visited him at home and im-mediately identified that he was so malnourished he was close to death.

Lazurus, like so many other St John Inter-national volunteers, is trained to identify danger signs in young children and pregnant women. He found Jacob suffering from starva-tion and malnutrition due to the extreme poverty he was living in.

Thanks to Lazurus, his mother Elina im-mediately took him to a nearby nutrition clinic where she had to return frequently to get Jacob the nutrition treatment he needed to improve and survive.

Elina was so relieved and empowered that she became an advo-cate for good nutrition in infants. On her advice, two other

mothers in the community saw their children were mal-nourished and took immediate steps to ensure they got the care they needed.

The early stages of a baby’s life are extreme-ly perilous. It’s vital that parents know how to give the correct care, nutrition and atten-tion in order to ensure a baby survives and grows into a healthy child.

Sadly, so many parents in rural areas of Africa don’t have access to healthcare awareness and skills to know how to prevent infections and complications in infants, which often prove fatal.

But with your help, we can train more St John International Commu-nity Volunteers to visit and educate others, spot the early danger signs and ensure more lives are saved.

“Jacobwouldn’tbe heretoday if itwasn’t forLazarus.”

InternationalInternational

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Over 1 million new-born babies die every year in Sub Saharan Africa from largely preventable causes. This equates to the population of Birmingham.

x43Spain has a similarpopulation size, reports

just 130 newborn deaths every year.

460 women die in Malawi from preventable maternal health complications

Each year 6 women die from preventable maternal health complications in The Netherlands

43, 000 babies die every year in Kenya in their first month of life from preventable causes

The impact one st John International volunteer has on the community:

20 new borns receiving essential postnatal care

30 fathers educated on maternal health

40 pregnant women cared for

many lives can be saved by simple health awareness, advice and interventions by St John

community volunteers. The St John Mother and Baby programme does exactly this by training local volunteers to help their communities.

our 4 stage approach :

1. SupplyMaking sure healthcare is there for those that need it most

2. DemandEducating communities so they fully understand when, how and why they should be using healthcare services

3. AffordabilityBy ensuring transport and access is as affordable as possible, we can remove one more barrier which stops women getting the care they need.

4. Access By bringing healthcare facilities closer to communities and visiting mothers and their babies at home, we can ensure as many people as possible are getting the care they need

3. Affordability

2. demand

4. Access

1. supply

Our approach began at the grass roots with over 500 people from local communities contributing. From there, St John Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe worked with St John International to pull together our strategy to save as many mothers and their babies as possible.

Our four stage approach:1. Supply: Making sure healthcare is there for those who need it mostSt John is recruiting local people and equipping them with the skills to prevent the death of nearby pregnant women and babies in 5 countries in Africa.

We will up skill 400 St John volunteers with national health standard training in antenatal care needs & planning for birth; diagnosing danger signs during pregnancy; essential nutrition for mothers; and post natal care needs for women and their babies.

2. Demand: Educating communities so they fully understand when, how and why they should be using healthcare services Our volunteers will visit people at home to educate them, raise awareness and encourage both women and men to access medical services at the right times.

They’ll help them understand the importance of healthcare for pregnant women and new born babies. By training community leaders and chiefs directly, we will be able to get buy-in across the community. This means we can recruit more volunteers to educate and encourage their peers.

Negative attitudes from health workers in communities can often prevent women from attending clinics and getting the healthcare they need. By training local health workers in patient care, we can ensure that any stigma that might exist is eliminated.

3. Affordability: By ensuring transport and access is as affordable as possible, we can remove one more barrier which stops women getting the care they need.

Men often hold the financial power in a household and can be unaware of the importance of proper healthcare during pregnancy. Because of this many women are denied the chance to get to the clinics due to financial constraints. By training male volunteers and chiefs to educate men, we can ensure more women visit clinics to get the care they need.

4. Access: By bringing healthcare facilities closer to communities and visiting mothers and their babies at home, we can ensure as many people as possible are getting the care they needOur mobile clinics mean that government health workers have a base within the communities themselves so more women can access healthcare services more often.

Providing motorbike and bicycle ambulances will allow more patients to be transported to healthcare facilities.

Our approach began at the grass roots with over 500 people from local communities contributing. From there, St John Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe worked with St John International to pull together our strategy to save as many mothers and their babies as possible.

Our four stage approach:1. Supply: Making sure healthcare is there for those who need it mostSt John is recruiting local people and equipping them with the skills to prevent the death of nearby pregnant women and babies in 5 countries in Africa.

We will up skill 400 St John volunteers with national health standard training in antenatal care needs & planning for birth; diagnosing danger signs during pregnancy; essential nutrition for mothers; and post natal care needs for women and their babies.

2. Demand: Educating communities so they fully understand when, how and why they should be using healthcare services Our volunteers will visit people at home to educate them, raise awareness and encourage both women and men to access medical services at the right times.

They’ll help them understand the importance of healthcare for pregnant women and new born babies. By training community leaders and chiefs directly, we will be able to get buy-in across the community. This means we can recruit more volunteers to educate and encourage their peers.

Negative attitudes from health workers in communities can often prevent women from attending clinics and getting the healthcare they need. By training local health workers in patient care, we can ensure that any stigma that might exist is eliminated.

3. Affordability: By ensuring transport and access is as affordable as possible, we can remove one more barrier which stops women getting the care they need.

Men often hold the financial power in a household and can be unaware of the importance of proper healthcare during pregnancy. Because of this many women are denied the chance to get to the clinics due to financial constraints. By training male volunteers and chiefs to educate men, we can ensure more women visit clinics to get the care they need.

4. Access: By bringing healthcare facilities closer to communities and visiting mothers and their babies at home, we can ensure as many people as possible are getting the care they needOur mobile clinics mean that government health workers have a base within the communities themselves so more women can access healthcare services more often.

Providing motorbike and bicycle ambulances will allow more patients to be transported to healthcare facilities.

“Volunteers areour lifeblood”Archbishop Desmond Tutu passionately supports the work of our volunteers around the world

Volunteers are the life blood of St John International. And they don’t come any more prominent than Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who is also one of our trustees.

“I passionately support the work of St John International and their unique community volunteer led approach towards improving community health around the world and addressing maternal and newborn health in Africa through their new Mother and Child Programme.

“St John’s model of volunteer led health care ensures sustainability and improved services and education for generations to come. Without healthy mothers and babies, communities cannot flourish and develop so investment in this area of health care is absolutely vital.

“Working with communities is, absolutely the best

approach. We are tapping into people, resources and communities. We don’t want to give hand-outs; we want the people themselves to be involved, to know that this is their thing, that they can own it.”

“We don’t want to give hand-outs; we want the people to be involved”

InternationalInternational

£600 sponsors a skilled Community Health Volunteer for one year. “if we have a problem in our community, this problem is also our problem. With St John supporting us we can bring change in our community and this change will help us also” – St John Community Health Volunteer, Malawi

£2000funds a mobile health clinic in a remote area where women and their newborns can access essential medical check-ups.By bringing healthcare facilities closer to communities, we can ensure as many people as possible are getting the care they need.

How your money helps

£50,000funds the first phase of the programme across all 5 countries – to recruit and train 368 volunteers in First Aid, as the foundation to their community health care training “Because of the training that we get we are able to help our own families. Our neighbours come to us because they know that we can help” – St John volunteer, Zambia

funds the annual technical support, organisational development and institutional strengthening work to support the programme. Expertise within St John and other international health institutions ensures this programme is innovative and impacting.

funds the total costs for one country to deliver its three year Mother & Baby Progamme We need your support to save mothers and babies in vulnerable communities across Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Malawi and Zimbabwe.

£100,000

£200,000

Visit our website to find out more | www.stjohninternational.org

“Their lives are inimmediate danger”St John International volunteer Winfred is a true hero to the mothers and babies she helps each day

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Winfred is one of the many amazing St John International volunteers who give their time for free to improve healthcare and lives in Bulumagi, a poverty stricken area just outside the capital city, Kampala.

Working in the Christ the King clinic, she plays a vital part in ensuring the mothers and their babies receive the best possible advice and healthcare under some of the toughest circumstances.

‘I have come across many mothers who are bleeding during their pregnancy and sometimes their pregnancy and lives are in immediate danger.’

But Winfred’s train-ing on how to care for women in pregnancy means she can recognise warning signs and advise the right course of care.

‘When I spot the danger signs I can immediately take the women from my

community to clinics or refer them to hospitals for examination and to begin treatment which in almost every case saved both the life of the baby and the woman.’

Winfred is a true hero to the mothers and babies she helps on a daily basis. But none of her work would be possible without your support.

“I have come across many mothers who are bleeding”

InternationalInternational

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I would like to invest in saving the lives of

mothers and babiesIf you are considering how you (or the organisation you work for)

might become more involved in the work of St John International,

please get in touch with us.

If you would like to help by giving to St John International, please fill

in this form and hand it to a St John representative. Thank you.

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