mother’s day 2014 - world vision...
TRANSCRIPT
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Dear friends,
Thanks for taking part in World Vision’s Mother’s Day campaign to call for an end to
preventable maternal and child deaths.
Mother’s Day is a time when people around Australia remember and celebrate our
mothers. It’s a special time for giving thanks for their love and sacrifice.
But it can also be a difficult day for some – especially for those who have experienced
the loss of their mother.
Every woman in the world is precious to God. No mother should miss out on being
part of her child’s life. No child should grow up motherless.
This Mother’s Day, we are asking Christians across Australia to take a moment to
reflect on the world’s missing mothers. Every hour, 33 women die from pregnancy
and childbirth related complications.
What makes this even more heartbreaking is that simple solutions already exist that
can save millions of lives. Having access to maternity and basic healthcare services
could reduce maternal deaths by 80 percent.
While celebrating the amazing mothers in your congregation this Mother’s Day we
ask that you also mark this special day by joining us in our call for better health care
for our neighbour’s poorest mothers and babies.
By standing together and showing that we care about this issue, Christians across
Australia will remind our nation’s leaders why they need to act now and save lives.
Shalom,
Tim Costello.
Chief Executive Officer, World Vision Australia.
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Make your Mother’s Day service extra special!
Joining the call to save more mothers’ lives is easy! This service planning kit contains
all the resources you need to make your Mother’s Day service extra special this year:
“My mum, my hero” video clip (on USB stick)
Petition cards
Sermon outline & prayer points
Posters
Inspiring stories of how World Vision is making a difference to mothers and babies
Details of how your church can support a group of mothers and babies in the
Solomon Islands
Mother’s Day ideas for Playgroups/Women’s Ministry
4 simple ways you can choose to take action:
Show video
Adorable
children from
around the
globe sharing
why their mum
is a hero
Sign Petition
Sign action
cards that ask
our political
leaders to save
more lives
Pray
Spend a few
minutes
praying for the
health and
future of mums
and children
globally
Give
Take up an
offering for a
project helping
mothers and
babies in the
Solomon
Islands
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Mother’s Day video – “My mum, my hero”
On the enclosed USB stick, you will find a two minute video clip featuring children
around the world explaining why their mum is a hero. A cute addition to your
Mother’s Day service, it highlights the fact that every mum is precious.
You can also play this video directly from YouTube: http://youtu.be/Qjsk_x09Tg4
Petition cards
These are Mother’s Day cards with a difference! Please insert these cards into church
newsletters or make them available on each seat at your Mother’s Day service.
Signing the cards is a great way for your congregation members to show our
politicians that they care about the health of mothers and babies.
Once signed, please return them to World Vision so we can present them to our
Foreign Minister, The Hon Julie Bishop MP, as part of our call for change:
World Vision Australia
Reply Paid 9944
Melbourne Vic 8060
For more action cards, please email: [email protected] If you
prefer, you can also sign the action card online at worldvision.com.au/mothersday
Mother’s Day posters
Enclosed are some posters you can put up in your church in the lead-up to Mother’s
Day. The infographic poster has lots of interesting facts about health issues facing the
world’s poorest women and children. It’s also available digitally making this a great
resource to include in your church newsletter or share on your church’s Facebook
page or website.
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Suggested sermon notes:
Theme: Let the little children come
Bible readings
Matthew 19:13-15
Matthew 23:37-39
The love and sacrifice of God
In Matthew 19:13-15 and Matthew 23:37 we see Jesus blessing children and
weeping over Jerusalem. They are powerful images of Him showing the loving
heart of God wanting to draw his children to Himself, just as a hen gathers her
chicks under her wings – protecting them and keeping them away from danger.
The love and sacrifice of mothers
In the same way, mothers (and fathers) demonstrate extraordinary love for the
children, many times going to incredible lengths to nurture and protect them.
Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate the love and sacrifice of mothers around the
world.
Despite what we may think about its commercialisation, Mother’s Day is a special
time to pause and be thankful for our mothers – and those who have shown a
mother’s love to us.
Mothers reflect the love of Christ for all of us. They love without counting the
cost, they sacrifice, and when their love is not returned, their tendency is to
continue to love regardless.
It is said that the act of giving birth is possibly the most painful event anyone can
go through. Yet, every day, women around the world go through the pain of
childbirth to give life and love.
The fact is that we would not be here today if it wasn’t for our mothers.
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The pain of lost motherhood
While Mother’s Day is a day of happiness and celebration, we also acknowledge
that for some – today can be a day of sadness and loss
In a broken world, a world of suffering and pain, the reality is that too often
mothers are not able to provide the care for themselves or their children that they
need and deserve. Children and families are left vulnerable at the death of a mum
in child birth or grief-stricken and bereft of energy at the chronic ill-health or
premature death of an infant.
While becoming a mother is one of the happiest times for a woman and her
family, it can also be one of the most dangerous times – particularly for a woman
living in extreme poverty. Every hour, 33 women die from pregnancy or
childbirth-related complications.
Whenever and wherever a mother or a child dies, families suffer.
Mums in Australia are blessed to have the medical care they need before and after
the birth of their babies.
Compared to Australia, women in Papua New Guinea are 100 times more likely
to die during pregnancy or childbirth.
Children around the world need their mothers. A child with a mother is 10 times
more likely to survive to their fifth birthday than a child left motherless.
The babies of mothers who do not receive proper nutrition and healthcare during
pregnancy are at greater risk of dying during their first month of life.
The deaths of these mothers and children are preventable. Having access to
maternity and basic healthcare services could reduce maternal deaths by 80%.
Every woman and every child in the world is precious to God. No mother should
miss out on being part of her child’s life. No child should grow up motherless.
What love looks like: from brokenness toward wholeness
The mission of God in the world is to move us from brokenness towards
wholeness; to bring faith, hope and love to circumstances where they do not exist.
God wants every man, woman and child to have the opportunity to live lives that
are abundant, full and flourishing.
In this mission God has chosen to work through us, his people, to demonstrate His
love, to build for His Kingdom, to invite people into restored relationships with
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God, with each other with His creation.
This restoration doesn’t just happen. It requires the faithful effort of people, you
and me, to create situations in which children and their families can flourish. To
provide needed resources, to foster the ability of communities to care for their
mums and kids, to speak out in order to ensure people are treated fairly and with
respect.
What does life in all its fullness look like? It looks like love.
Love is:
o A community with the resources it needs to care for its members.
o A woman receiving proper antenatal care and nutrition, to ensure the best
outcome for her and her unborn child.
o A woman being cared for during her labour and having access to medical
help she needs.
o A new mother being supported to give her newborn baby the best possible
start to life.
o Families full of hope for their children.
Conclusion
When the children were brought to Jesus for a blessing the disciples wanted to
send them away. It was typical of the attitude of the day that children had no
rights and were dismissed. Jesus challenges those attitudes and blesses the children.
We see numerous instances of Jesus healing children from illness and bringing
renewed hope to families.
As Christians we are privileged to be the hands and feet in the mission of God as
He redeems it and moves it toward wholeness, invites us to His family of restored
relationships.
To bring faith, hope and love, to these challenging situations we are called to
show God’s love through our generosity, by speaking out about the brokenness
we see, and by praying for God’s Kingdom to come.
It is a privilege we have today to follow Jesus - to follow in his footsteps and serve
others, so they have the opportunity to experience wellbeing and to flourish.
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Prayer points
• Thank God for all mothers around the world;
• for the love and sacrifices they make, and
• that they show us what God’s love is like
• Pray for the hundreds of thousands of women each year who don’t survive
pregnancy or childbirth;
• that their suffering does not go unheard
• Pray for the world’s childless mothers and motherless children;
• that they will know your loving presence
• Pray for mothers for whom Mother’s Day brings memories of loss;
• that they will know the comfort of God
• Pray for mothers struggling to raise their children in desperate poverty;
• that they will receive the support they need
• Pray for those balancing the daily demands of raising children;
• that they will find strength in God
• Pray that we will love as God loves
• Pray for justice and peace for all mothers and all of creation
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During your Mother’s Day service you might like to take up a special offering for a
World Vision project that supports mothers and babies in the Solomon Islands.
Young children and their mothers in the Solomon Islands face a range of obstacles in
accessing quality health services and information.
Women are at risk of dying during pregnancy or childbirth because of:
distance from - and lack of transport to - health services
a lack of medical staff and facilities
a lack of training to recognise danger signs during pregnancy
Help save lives!
On Mother’s Day, we are hoping to raise
$20,000 to fund a project assisting mothers and
children in the Makira province of the Solomon
Islands.
By taking up an offering for this project you
will help World Vision assist communities in the
Makira province to adopt improved health and
nutritional practices that ensure the continued
wellbeing of mothers and their children.
Did you know?
30 in 1,000 Solomon Islands children die
before the age of five, and 47 newborns
die per 1,000 births.
Your congregation can help to improve the health
and wellbeing of mothers and children in the
Solomon Islands.
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Cheque
Mail your cheque made out to ‘World Vision Australia’ to:
Att: Mariska Meldrum
Church Team
World Vision Australia
1 Vision Drive, Burwood East VIC
Please include a letter stating:
your church name and address
supporter number (if you have one!)
the donation amount
that the donation is for Maternal Child Health Solomon Islands
the trigger code: C10574-A5174-R3596 Mother’s Day
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)
Bank name: ANZ
Address: 420 St Kilda Road Melbourne 3000
BSB: 013 423
Account number: 310 734 464
Account name: World Vision Australia Operating Account
Bank reference: your church name / C10574-A5174-R3596
Narration: church name / MCHSOL Mother’s Day
Please send an email to [email protected] to let us know the
EFT amount and date – thanks!
How to send in your donations
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Playgroup / Women’s Ministry ideas
If your Church has a Playgroup or run Women’s Ministry, here are some other ideas
to consider:
Organise a movie night or other event like a Mother’s Day morning tea around
the theme of mothers and babies. Show the “My Mum’s a Hero” video and ask
participants to sign our petition cards calling for change.
Ask people to considering contributing toward a Mother’s Day gift from our gift
catalogue at worldvision.com.au/gifts Gift include:
$25 – Childhood immunisation
A gift of childhood immunisation is a simple and effective way to save precious lives.
Infants can be protected from deadly diseases such as polio, tetanus and tuberculosis.
$70 – Healthy start for babies
Help give precious infants and children the best start
in life. A gift of healthcare includes breastfeeding and
nutrition training for new mothers, as well as
nutritional supplements for children.
$76 – Newborn baby kit
Help a new mother care for her precious bundle
of joy during this special time. The kit includes
supplies such as a bassinet, nappies, blanket and
soap
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Real life stories to inspire you!
Delivering better health for women
With the nearest hospital a thirty minute boat-ride away, a few years ago it wasn’t
unusual for a woman to die in childbirth in the Kampong Leng district of Cambodia.
Kimsan Lock, 27, pictured with her son Pisit, recalls that pregnant women in her
village abided by traditional practices. They were advised not to eat a lot of food,
have a shower at nighttime or sleep a lot or they would have a difficult delivery.
Tired and undernourished,
many women were simply
too weak for the long
journey to hospital and the
demands of childbirth.
Born at dangerously low
birth weights, their babies
were at greater risk of
infection and disease.
Today, World Vision is
assisting Kimsan and other
mums through a Village
Health Support Group which runs training sessions. The women learn how to take
care of their health and that of their baby before and after delivery.
“Understanding about health is very important for us to reduce death of mother and
child,” says Kimsan, who has put what she has learnt from World Vision into practice
during both her pregnancies.
While pregnant, Kimsan says she received iron and folic acid, a tetanus injection,
advice on eating the right foods like green vegetables and fruit, and breastfeeding
education.
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World Vision has also provided the health centre with much-needed equipment and
has encouraged pregnant women to attend for pre- and post-natal care.
“I delivered both my babies at the health centre because it is safe for our life,” says
Kimsan. She continues to visit the centre for check-ups and life-saving vaccines for
both her sons.
Spreading the world about what she has learnt, Kimsan enthusiastically says, “I want
all mothers to know how to take care of their health and her children’s health.”
Photo Credit: ©2013 Ratana Lay/World Vision
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How one midwife
changed everything!
Khamtan smiles widely.
“Most of the babies here,
they’re my grandchildren,” she
jokes, referring to the children
in her village in Laos.
Khamtan is the community’s only midwife. She’s on call day and night, in rainstorms
and in the severe heat.
“It is hard to reach some areas, especially at night. Some families come to get me by
foot, and then I walk back with them,” she says.
A mother herself, Khamtan serves 94 households in this remote agricultural
community of bamboo houses. It takes both a boat ride and an hour-long car ride to
access the nearest town.
World Vision came to the community about five years ago and decided the village
needed a midwife.
“They asked me to take on the job and my family agreed I should do it,” Khamtan
remembers. She spent several weeks in the city to complete her training in childbirth
and pre-natal care.
Recalling what it was like before for women without a midwife, Khamtan says,
“Women had to give birth by themselves…there was no-one there to support a
mother in labour. Once the baby arrived, they had to cut the cord themselves.”
She describes the sharpened bamboo charcoal that was used to cut the umbilical cord
in the past. “This led to infections,” she explains.
The results of Khamtan’s work have been incredible. Since she took up her job, no
mother or child has died in childbirth.
Photo Credit: 2013 Ammala Thomisith/World Vision
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Giving birth to better health practices
Maternal, newborn and child deaths were very high in the Solomon Islands,
particularly in the eastern region’s Makira Province.
The communities are isolated, have no roads and limited transport networks, poor
access to healthcare and education services and high rates of poverty.
With the help of AusAID funding, World Vision
Australia set up a Maternal Child Health and
Nutrition (MCHN) project to improve the
health of women and children (0-5 years) in
Makira.
The project has trained up 34 Village Health
Volunteers who help increase knowledge of
health issues, nutrition, pregnancy, delivery
and preventing childhood illnesses.
Women are encouraged to make regular visits
to the health clinic for check-ups and advice
and bring their children for growth monitoring.
Regular awareness talks are held during
antenatal check-up days.
Priscilla Pageni, 28, (pictured) speaks about the
changes she has seen since the MCHN project
was established.
“Before World Vision came to our village and
did the awareness, mothers did not know
about the health issues and…were ignorant about their family’s health.
“Now after attending the workshops…the mothers are regularly visiting the clinic for
check-ups and are now more careful in preparing the right kind of food for their
family,” she said.
Photo Credit: ©2013 World Vision