Save the children's tears - help UNICEF

How will you be celebrating Mother's Day this year - have you bought your mum a gift, a card, some flowers, taking her for a meal. As you all know my mum died several years ago now but being a mum myself I 'm sure that the girls will have something up their sleeves

I cannot imagine a life without my mother, the memories I have of her live on to this day and she is still spoken about even now with my friends and family. But can you imagine life without your mother since birth.

Unfortunately, in some countries this is the norm. There are nearly 1,000 women a day still dying during pregnancy or childbirth due to complications, lack of medical care and unsanitary dirty conditions. That means that between today (Wednesday) and Mother's Day(Sunday), nearly 5,000 women will die throughoout the world. 

There are many children out there living their life without their mother present, babies like this one below from Somalia, who is growing up without her mum by her side :

Somalia (a country 3 times the size of the UK) is  located in the horn of Africa (or if your geography is like mine the yellow one on the map below)

Since the outbreak fo the Civil War there in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory. Somalia has been characterised as a failed state and is one of the poorest and most violent states for women and children in the world. Its lack of heath infrastructure, the continued fighting and lack of basic medical care also means it has one of the highest maternal morality rates, with 1 in every 14 women at risk of dying during pregnancy or child birth.

Its shocking to think that even now, in 2011, mothers are dying whilst pregnant or in child birth. I was shocked when I read this, shocked to tears. I know that there are many countries throughout the world where conditions are not like ours, but to think that a 1,000 mothers a day are dying is still shocking.

Luckily, this is not going by unnoticed. UNICEF believes that this is wrong and are working in the country to try and help put this right.

Please help UNICEF this Mother's day to save '1,000 mums lives' and make sure no child is born without their mother by buying as a gift the 'Deliver a Baby' pack. The pack, which costs £23, contains all the medical equipment needed to safley deliver one baby and help keep a mum safe during the birth.

BNM