Dr Joan of Sierra Leone – Healthworker Hero
All I have seen of New York so far has been very tall buildings from the window of a yellow cab and the inside of the Save the Children New York Office which is buried half underground within spitting distance of the UN building.
I woke up this morning after the only three hours sleep I have had since Friday and peered blearily at twitter on my iphone to see something really quite incredible. Yesterday’s blogging conference had sparked an idea inside the head of the very lovely, arm stroking, @helloitsgemma. The, frankly, bloody marvellous @michelletwinmum who blogs at Mummy From The Heart has taken this spark and fanned it and, goodness, isn’t it burning bright?!
Michelle and Gemma have asked bloggers to write a 100 word post about their experiences of health workers. As I write this, 40 people have already posted. Please add your link. I’m writing mine this evening while you are all in bed snoring and @lizscarff and I will be reading and commenting on every one of yours.
Today I met the most amazing woman. Dr Joan from Sierra Leone is here to tell the story from the front line. She is a senior midwife, midwife trainer and President of the Midwives Association in Sierra Leone, a country where they only have 1/10th of the health workers they need.
There is a global shortfall of 3.5 million health workers leaving 350 million children never seeing a doctor or nurse and one in three women giving birth without a skilled birth attendant. Women and children are being left unforgivably vulnerable.
This UN summit is crucial for putting an end to this scandal and ensuring that no child dies because they can’t see a health worker and no woman dies as a direct result of being without skilled birth support.
We need to shout loud and hold our politicians to account, women and children and their families worldwide need skilled health workers. Children shouldn’t be dying simply because they were born in the wrong place.
Please write your 100 words and let’s whip these flames up. Let’s build a bonfire as a beacon which cannot be ignored.
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Fantastic post Chris. Keep up the good work xx
Ohh I am so emotional today, all I keep doing is snivelling. So very proud of you. A pleasure to be doing what I can alongside you. Mich x
We’re all right behind you. We will all be your voice back here, you’ll be our voice at the UN and together we’ll be the voice of the voiceless. xxx
We are all shouting loudly! Todays response has been phenomenal, we are all behind you. Try to get some sleep though, you need to look after yourself as well. xx
I’ve written mine although it’s taken me all day to have the courage.
You keep going you amazing woman! You can do this, we’re all behind you.
Hi Chris. I couldn’t get the link to work here through your post, but managed to watch it thro’ link tweeted by @everyone_stc.
Have a virtual one on me 
)
What an awesome lady with a phenominal story, but I’m guessing she is just one in a massive number of unsung heros and that many of the health workers working out of these regions have similar stories.
It really is fantastic what you are all doing – I’ll be following your progress so closely over the next few days. Good luck for the next leg!
(There’s a bottle of Xtra Xtra strong-hold hairspray winging its way to the STC office btw … well there would be if I could order it for you online
MJM xx
117 ‘one hundred word’ posts and 1000 #healthcare tweets generating over 3 million impressions as I write this. Now we need to translate all of that into actual petition signitures. You and Liz are doing wonderful things and we’re right behind you. x
I’m in! xxx
Hooray! Thank you! See you when I get back! xxx