Hello! :)

If you know me, I'm sure you know just how much I love chocolate. A self-confessed chocoholic, I have been known to get a little hangry if I can't get my fix! It's going to be difficult for me to give it up for a month.

I was approached to take part in Choctober to help raise money to make birth safer for disadvantaged women in Africa. Birth is more than often a tough thing for any woman to do, however, it's MUCH riskier in sub-Saharan Africa. 800 women die giving birth each day, that's 2 each minute. The statistics are frankly terrifying. 56% of the world's deaths in childbirth happen in sub-Saharan Africa. You can read more here: https://www.maternityworldwide.org/the-issues/

While I'm going back to work in October and will be more stressed (at least for a while), I feel that the least I can do is give up the chocolate I'd surely be reaching for from my desk drawer. I feel grateful that I was in a developed country where healthcare for women in pregnancy and birth is much better. 

If you could donate even a little to help these women, I'd really appreciate it (please and thank you!)

Here's the difference you could make:

• Donate £1 – The cost of a small chocolate bar could pay for a course of antibiotics to prevent infection following childbirth
• Donate £15 – The cost of a luxury box of chocolates could provide a safe birth for a mother and her baby
• Donate £30 – The cost of a fancy chocolate cake could empower a woman to make her own decisions about her healthcare
• Donate £50 – The cost of a posh chocolate fountain could provide an emergency safe birth for a mother and her baby