This is Mwatitha Ledson. She is 21-year-old mother of a three-year-old girl. She considers her daughter a miracle, a gift from god. Since we have come to Mchinji District, we have focused our medical facilities on caring for pregnant women, in efforts to decrease infant mortality rates.
In 2018, the infant mortality rate in Malawi was 35.3 deaths for every 1,000 children. This is a major improvement in the last 10 years (in 2008, the figure stood at 59.2 deaths per 1,000). Still, this is far too high, and we are committed to making sure mothers receive the prenatal care and hygienic conditions for giving birth that they need to safely deliver a healthy baby.
Mwatitha is from Saliele Village, which is 15 kilometers from Tongozala Holistic Community Center. The trek to Tongozala is long and hard – and she always brings her child with her, as she has no choice, and nowhere she can leave her young son while she is gone. But Our AIM has changed both of their lives for the better, making sure both are nourished with food, fresh, clean water, and the regular medical attention they need to stay healthy.
This is our mission in rural Malawi, as it is in the various other countries we serve. We understand the importance of women’s financial autonomy, and the many stresses of taking care of a child in impoverished conditions. The battle is hard, but it is so worth it – especially when you see women like Mwatitha, and the smile that brightens her face whenever she arrives at our Center, knowing that she and her child will be provided for.
That’s why we do it!