MOMS’ Mission
MOMS is a non-profit, charitable organization whose purpose is to improve maternal health through education and service.
How we fulfill our mission:
- Prepare women to educate and support their communities, especially the pregnant women in those communities
- Train women in the skills and knowledge they need to support local women in normal birth
- Promote effective maternity care to all women
We serve marginalized women. We have a vision of improving women's and children's lives by helping provide excellent maternity care. We stay focused on preparing women to support their communities skillfully. With our experience in effective management, we also think creatively. We act responsibly with the trust our donors and clients have given us. We like to have fun, not taking ourselves too seriously, while taking MOMS' work very seriously.
Why Sierra Leone?
At MOMS, we serve where little or no quality care is available. Sierra Leone is poor, isolated, and misunderstood. It is also beautiful, with strong people who dream of a better life. The government is working hard to reduce corruption and improve the infrastructure. We invest time consulting with officials to build a healthy relationship based on mutual respect.
Our capabilities match the needs of the people. We are skilled in training community health workers and skilled birth attendants and in supporting clinic staff. We are recognized experts in designing effective instructional material. We have a deep appreciation for African culture.
Because we are small, we are also nimble. We do not need expensive facilities, infrastructure, or paid US staff, but work with skilled and dedicated volunteers, who need only basic supplies for educating and serving the women.
So we work where the women are afraid of pregnancy and birth, facing up to 2% maternal mortality rates and 40% infant and child mortality rates.
Below is Mamie Lamin, the head TBA in the Pellie area with her grandchildren.
The children’s mother died in premature labor last year.
What about Western Midwives and Midwifery Interns?
We often hear from interns who want experience in a high volume setting. MOMS does not provide that experience. Our role is not as birth attendants but as teachers of the local women. Those focused on getting the experience needed for registration, certification, or licensing should look elsewhere.
That said, we do at times accept interns in our work, and they must meet stringent criteria.
They must already have considerable academic and practical experience in the subjects they wish to teach. They must be able to teach others. They must have characteristics, like resilience and flexibility, that make them good candidates for working in a remote area in a different culture.
MOMS does not recruit interns to work with women who lack choices, until the interns gain experience with women who have freely chosen them as a care-provider.
For more information, see our Volunteering page.
