Care for mom
Action Against Hunger cares for moms. Support for moms and caretakers means fewer deaths for children under five.
Why do we care for moms?
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- Around one third of moms in developing countries suffer from depression.
- Maternal depression increases the risk of child malnutrition and even infant mortality.
- Maternal health is even more crucial for child survival in crisis situations, like the severe crises taking place in Nigeria, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.
How do we care for moms?
Baby Tents: A safe space for mothers and babies
In a crisis, we make sure moms have access to “baby tents” that serve as a secure space to nurse, but also to practice a little self-care. Imagine the first time you feed your baby after an emergency forces you to flee your home; we are there to make that experience a little more comfortable.
In addition to providing critical medical and nutritional care, we make sure mothers and children receive the emotional support they need in the aftermath of a natural disaster or conflict. Baby tents offer families a safe place to heal both physically and psychologically:
“In the baby tents, we’re also providing psychological support to survivors. Our aim is to re-establish and support the bond between a mother and her child by creating a healthy emotional environment for them both to recover. These interventions, while not obvious at first glance, are of crucial importance to children’s health in times of emergency.” – Amador Gomez, Technical Director, Action Against Hunger
Read about how Action Against Hunger has used baby tents in the Philippines and in Syria.
Mom-to-mom support groups
Mom-to-mom support groups exist so moms like Pauline can benefit from getting together with other moms to swap stories and useful advice. Her son benefited from the breastfeeding tips she got through the Action Against Hunger mom-to-mom support group we helped her start in Kenya.
By helping moms create mom-to-mom support groups, we can give kids a fighting chance. Just like moms in Canada, both moms and their babies benefit from getting together to swap stories and useful advice.
How can you help?
We’re asking Canadians to take care of themselves and their moms while helping raise funds so we can help moms and caretakers who need extra support amidst armed conflict and severe food crises:
- Make a donation on our website to support moms and save lives now: Just $45 saves a life.
- Donate to Action Against Hunger in honour of your loved one.
- Take a yoga class at Kula Annex in Toronto, their Friday evening class supports Action Against Hunger.
- Go to participating wellness/fitness partners that are donating proceeds to Action Against Hunger or get your local studio/gym to Care for Mom!
- Everyone can Care for Mom! Hosting a brunch? Want to do a yogathon? Collect donations on our fundraising website!