While they did not meet that target on the night, nevertheless over the course of the next few weeks, the sh202 would have surely been realised.
The Mama Bag appeal is an imitative by the Uganda Red Cross Society to improve the welfare of expectant mothers living in internally displaced camps in northern Uganda.
The kit which costs just over sh4,000 has just about everything an expectant mother would need as she gives birth.
To prove that the appeal does work, Florence Lalam and Janet Achola from Labuje camp in Kitgum, who were benefactors of the kit last year shared their testimony with the guests. They said: “We thank the Red Cross. In the camps it is very hard to sustain a living. Food and money are very difficult to get hold of.
“Even if we have food, we have to look for firewood and being pregnant, it is very difficult. Most of us, who go out looking for fire wood never come back.â€
They added that at the hospital, the nurses don’t have anything. Some of us give birth in a small room, which could be the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and store.
The organising committee, which included Angelina Wapakhabulo, Mrs Cutting, Mrs Myers, Camille Aliker amongst others certainly did a splendid job in ensuring that the evening went well.
And while the MC for evening, Joseph Kabuleta knows everything there is to do with sports, he nevertheless adapted well to fit into his new role.
Robert Ssebunya, the national vice chairman of URCS said the dinner was one of their resource mobilisation activities.
He added that the maternal mortality rate for Uganda was 506 deaths per 100,000 deliveries and that only 38% of deliveries took place in a health facility that is supervised by a trained health worker.
The Mama Bag fundraising dinner was supported by Barclays Bank, MTN, Mrs Wavammuno, WBS, Uganda Golf Club, Standard Chartered Bank, Mamba Point, Faze II, Kyoto restaurant, South African Airlines, Roko, Fedex, Speke group of hotels, utl, Caltex Rwenzori beverages, Kobil, and House of Kaine.
Ends
Mama Bag targets sh202m
