During the summers of her childhood in Sydney, Carla remembers the children in her neighbourhood and at school having an abundance of strawberries to eat. At home, her mum would make sure she and her three older siblings would have at least a strawberry each so they wouldn’t feel left out.
“We lived in an affluent area so the other kids’ families could afford heaps of strawberries, whereas we couldn’t,” Carla says.
Her parents started a life in Australia with “little to nothing” after fleeing civil war in Lebanon in the 1980s, says Carla, who is now 28 years old. After finding temporary refuge in the United States, they eventually settled in Australia, where they worked long hours, and fought through language and cultural barriers, to raise Carla, her sister and her two brothers (pictured above).
“We didn’t have a lot of money,” Carla says. “When we were kids, there was a lot of things we could not afford. My parents always worked really hard to make sure we didn’t miss out, and it was always instilled in us to enjoy what we have.”
Carla says her parents and the challenges of her childhood taught her the values of respect, hard work, perseverance, and gratitude. Her parents took the opportunities they had living in Australia, and were determined to create a better life for themselves and their children.
Carla’s older siblings are now pursuing their dreams: her oldest brother works in law enforcement, her other brother is a graphic designer and runs his own business, and her sister is a nurse. The past several years Carla has worked in the events industry. “We didn’t come from a lot but, in our own right, we now play a big part in our society,” Carla says.
From ChildFund supporter to employee
Today, Carla is helping to give children in need the opportunities she and her family were lucky to have had.
She has been a child sponsor with ChildFund Australia over the past six years, helping children access essentials such as health care, education and protection. In 2021 she joined ChildFund’s supporter relations team in Sydney as an employee.
“Giving back is ingrained in me,” Carla says. “It’s something I’m passionate about, and it’s been enriched by my parents and what they’ve taught me.
Carla with a photo of her sponsored child. Carla sponsored children through ChildFund Australia for six years before joining the organisation as an employee in 2021. “Being involved with a charity and giving back has opened my eyes.”
“I am lucky to have been born and to live in Australia. I’ve been able to take the opportunities I’ve been given and experienced, and to grow a lot.
“Child sponsorship is my way of giving back and to help create opportunities for someone else.
“It doesn’t matter where you come from, if you have the opportunities and take them, then there is the ability to get to where you want to go.”
Carla hopes her sponsored child, eight-year-old Alviena, from the Philippines, grows up to be independent. “I hope she will be able to be educated, earn a living, start a family, and achieve whatever she puts her mind to.”
Supporting an international charity like ChildFund, and learning about the problems that many children living in poverty face, has helped broaden Carla’s views of the world and put issues, such as the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, into perspective.
“Being involved with a charity and giving back has opened my eyes,” Carla says. “We were worried about the number of COVID cases in Australia, but families overseas couldn’t even get vaccines or proper health care.
“If you’re in the position where you can give – even if it’s a tiny bit of money – why wouldn’t you? If the day comes when you need support, hopefully someone will do the same in return.”
A dangerous journey to safe hands
The birth of a child is normally a time of joy. But for the most vulnerable families around the world, it can be filled with fear and uncertainty. One mother’s story shows how a lack of adequate maternal and child health care can be devastating for generations of women and children.
By Rita Mu
In remote Kalaki District, in east Uganda, children play in their villages as parents tend to household chores and farming activities.
Dirt roads and paths, spanning across kilometres through bushland, connect homes to schools, health facilities and bustling cities. Some families, if they have enough money, pay for a vehicle to get to these places. For most, however, it is a long and, often, dangerous journey on foot.
For Joyce* and her family it is about a six-hour walk to the nearest health centre. Joyce has made the journey many times – when her babies were sick, and when she was pregnant and in labour.
Joyce lives with her husband, their eight children, and their granddaugther, Rose*, in a poor, remote village in Kalaki.
The family rely on the growth and sale of crops such as maize, millet, beans and cassava for income.
It is a difficult life, but Joyce works hard to put food on the table.
She is strong and resilient – she has to be for her children.
Over the past few years, however, Joyce has experienced unimaginable heartbreak.
She lost two of her children. Both died because of complications during childbirth.
The first child was a newborn. Joyce had walked close to six hours, fighting through labour pains and contractions, to her nearest health centre to give birth, only to find the facility closed due to a lack of staff and funding. There were no doctors or nurses in sight. Out of time and nowhere else to go, Joyce gave birth on the verandah.
Sadly, her baby died. “The baby didn’t even cry,” Joyce says. “I had no idea what the problem was. If the nurse was present she would have been able to deliver my baby, check and find what the problem was.”
The loss of child, and a mother
A year after losing her baby, Joyce found herself grieving the loss of another child, her 18-year-old daughter Grace*.
Grace was a shy teenager, but she had many friends.
She loved children, and wanted to become a teacher.
Grace became pregnant at the age of 18.
She never spoke about her pregnancy to her family, but Joyce suspected she was pregnant and made sure Grace attended all the recommended antenatal check-ups.
Joyce and her husband were out when Grace went into labour.
They came home just as Grace was about to give birth. Hours from the nearest health centre, and with no skilled health professional present, Grace delivered a baby girl at home.
Soon after, Grace passed away.
“I can’t tell what really happened because she never told us about any unusual pain,” Joyce says. “She was sweating like someone was pouring water on her. We checked and checked on her. She was not breathing.”
Grace did not even get the chance to meet her baby.
Joyce welcomed a beautiful granddaughter – Rose – into the world that day, but lost her daughter.
And Rose lost her mother.
Today, Rose is almost two years old.
Joyce is raising Rose as her own. "People have suggested I take her to an orphanage or somewhere else," Joyce says, "but I can't do that."
"I will do my best to raise her myself."
It has been almost two years, but Joyce still does not know the cause of Grace’s death.
“If she had reached the hospital the doctors could have figured out what the problem was,” Joyce says.
A huge gap between rich and poor
Stories like Grace’s are all too common in poor, remote communities around the world.
Ninety-four per cent of all maternal deaths around the world occur in low and lower middle-income countries.
Statistics like this highlight the huge gap between rich and poor when it comes to accessing quality maternal health care.
A baby born in Uganda is 11 times more likely to die than a baby born in Australia.For every 1,000 births, 33 infants die in Uganda compared to three infant deaths in Australia.
The difference in maternal death rates between Uganda and Australia is even more staggering. In Uganda, 375 mothers die for every 1,000 births, compared to only six maternal deaths in Australia.
Mothers and babies are dying from complications during, and after, pregnancy and childbirth. Common complications include severe bleeding or infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy, obstructed labour, malaria and heart disease. These complications are often preventable or treatable with the help of a skilled health professional.
However, for mothers and babies living in poverty and remote villages, one of the major barriers to accessing quality maternal and child health care is the long distance they need to travel, usually on foot, to health facilities. Health services are few and far between for families like Joyce’s.
Basic maternal and child healthcare services are often under-resourced and under pressure. The COVID-19 pandemic has further strained these services.
*Names have been changed.
How you can help
Your support can help mothers and babies access the health care they need, and be in safe hands.
ChildFund is working with local partners and skilled health professionals on the ground in disadvantaged communities to deliver interventions such as:
Health outreach clinics: Skilled health professionals such as nurses at these clinics provide essential services such antenatal care, COVID-19 and child vaccinations, family planning, nutrition assessment of children, and malaria testing and treatment.
Community health volunteers: Trained village-based health volunteers identify and treat common illnesses and diseases such as malaria, which can lead to maternal anaemia, miscarriage, or premature delivery if left untreated. They also connect pregnant mothers with skilled health professionals and antenatal care services.
Birthing kits: Clean birthing kits help pregnant mothers living in remote villages deliver their babies at home more safely if they cannot access a health facility. These kits include the necessary tools and equipment, such as clean sheets, soap, gauze, and a new scalpel and clamps to cut the umbilical cord, for a safer delivery at home.
Medicines and medical supplies: Increased demands for health services and travel restrictions around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to shortages in essential medicines and medical supplies.
Breaking a multi-generational cycle
No mother should lose a child, and no child should lose their mother during childbirth.
