I have read the statistics on Maternal Health in Uganda.
Every day - 16 women in Uganda die in childbirth.
I can read that fact and know it in my head - but today it became real to me. I woke up to a message that one of our artists - Aloyo Evelyn - had gotten news while she was working on our products for us, that her sister had passed away giving birth.
Evelyn's sister, Atto, had three children and the newborn which survived. Her husband had left her. Which means that now Evelyn will be caring for these four children and raising them as her own. Evelyn who already has 5 children on her own. That is 9 children she will be caring for - one being a brand new infant who is now motherless . And all the while dealing with the grief of a sister and a mother.
This just moved from head knowledge to heart knowledge for me. I know Evelyn - I've talked to her, hugged her and spent time with her. This is real life.
My heart is heavy thinking of my sister on the other side of the world. For now, we will send some funds to help with the cost of raising these additional children. But we will also be looking more in depth at what we can do to ensure the health of all mothers in Uganda. One of our other artists is expecting - and we want it to be a time of celebration for her. Not fear.
This is sweet Evelyn - please remember her and her family in your prayers!
Krista is married to her college sweetheart, Mark and they have two daughters - Madison and Eden. When Krista isn't working at JustOne she can be found behind the camera at Edison Photography. It was her photography that first lead Krista to Africa in June 2012. Later that same year Krista founded JustOne.
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