The Siwa Oasis is a remote and culturally unique region with its own set of challenges, especially for women. Our mission is to address these challenges and empower the women of Siwa to lead healthier lives.
The area is known for its geographical remoteness, conservative social norms, and gender segregation. Women in this region face significant restrictions on their mobility and access to basic healthcare and hygiene products. The healthcare facilities available are often inadequate, and diseases like Sickle Cell Disease and diabetes are prevalent.
Our mission is to provide education, empowerment, and support to the women of Siwa Oasis. We aim to address not only their physical needs but also their emotional and spiritual well-being. By working as a community, we believe that women can recognize their worth, abilities, and break free from the constraints of their restrictive lives.
Your financial support can help us provide essential teaching kits and materials for educating women in Siwa.
Share our mission and stories from Siwa to raise awareness about the challenges these women face.
If you are interested in supporting the work in any way, please get in touch. This has to be handled really sensitively to respect the local culture.
We were asked to visit a mother who had given birth to twin boys. She already has 3 girls under 4 years.
The family live in a small upstairs room. The windows do not have glass screens but some old blankets. The room is freezing cold and the many cracks and the blankets fail to keep the draught out. As we enter, we see a woman sit on a double bed, a gas burner in front of her. She is changing the diaper of one of the twin babies. I am shocked not only by the hazard that the gas burner presents to her and the babies but also by the exhaustion and despair that is written on the woman’s face.
As we take turns holding the coughing babies, feeding and changing them, the woman explains that she is getting low on formula and because her husband has not completed the paper work, she cannot get the formula for free from the local hospital. Her husband is also not allowing her to go and stay with her mother for some rest. She has no running water in the home. We wished someone could stay with her to help her try and start breastfeeding.
Had she had the right support and education from the beginning, she would now not have to worry about finding formula for the twins. Now the only thing we can do is donate some money to at least keep the twins going for a few days and hope that the husband will get the paperwork sorted.
International Impact
If you have any questions, suggestions, or if you would like to support our cause, please don’t hesitate to get in touch
We visited a mother who has recently given birth to her 6th child. At least three of her six children have sickle cell disease, so her eldest had recently passed away when she was 7 years old.
When we asked how the baby was, the mother explained that she was worried about him and that she did not have enough milk for him, so she had started supplementing with formula. Indeed, the baby looked very thin and generally not healthy. He was also far too hot as he was wrapped in at least 3 thick blankets and wearing 4 layers of clothing.
We were able to coach the mother while she let the baby latch on. We corrected the latch and encouraged her in continuing to exclusively breastfeed as often as he wanted to. We felt confident after the visit that the mother understood how to continue breastfeeding but unfortunately, there are no breastfeeding supporters to continue supporting her. It was also clear that the mother cannot afford to change her baby’s nappies very often, so his skin will not heal as quickly as it should.
From our antenatal world blog hub with the latest news and articles from the world of antenatal education to finding out about funding, these resources can support your journey on building a birthing educator brand…
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