I am a PhD student at Bournemouth University and am passionate about safe pregnancy and childbirth in developing countries.

Pregnancy and childbirth in other parts of the world is a moment of joy and anticipation of the newest addition to the family. Sadly, Uganda, similar to other developing countries, women die every day due to preventable causes such as severe bleeding, eclampsia and infections.

For every woman who dies during pregnancy and childbirth, there is someone grieving; employers distraught at the sudden loss of a brilliant employee, children who may never experience the love of a mother and families whose hearts rile with pain over the loss of a loved one simply gone too soon.

I once had a sister; she made her mark in society as an advocate for human rights. She provided free legal services for the poor and underprivileged in rural Uganda until she suddenly developed complications at 38 weeks of pregnancy and passed on while giving birth. While I may never change the tragic events in my scenario, I can make a difference for another woman, family and community through a community based intervention that seeks to involve men to promote early and appropriate use of maternity services by pregnant women. Men play a huge role in determining whether women access maternity services or not in this part of the world. An educational board game, ‘WHOSE SHOES?` will be used as a means to engage with men to address barriers that hinder pregnant women from accessing skilled care at birth a key factor contributing to high maternal deaths in Uganda.

Money raised will be used to carry out educational activities on safe motherhood and asses impact in villages in Central Uganda. Community approvals are complete and moving on to the next phase of the intervention processes! Share with your friends and make some noise about the campaign!