I recently learned about the non-profit organization, Shine On Sierra Leone (SOSL), founded by Tiffany Persons.
The organization focuses on building schools, educational programs for children and adults, sustainable development and the Birthright Healthcare program, among others. The Birthright Healthcare program aims to help reduce infant and mortality rates amongst women during maternal care. In fact, supermodel, Selita Ebanks, launched the healthcare program for SOSL. When the supermodel ambassador was a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice, she won $20,000 and used the total amount to open a maternal ward that will offer free maternal care and postnatal care. Amaazing!
She tells Star magazine, "When you hear 400,000 women die from pregnancy or childbirth, it's almost insane. I want to build a hospital and help rehabilitate the hospitals there."
I am very proud to say I am from Sierra Leone and it saddens me that many women and children die from unsterile conditions, and the lack of postnatal care or instructions. There are so many different issues relating to this small country in West Africa, and these brutal statistics are a constant reminder of how grateful I am for my birth AND life in the U.S.
Supermodel, Selita Ebanks, and SOSL founder, Tiffany Parsons.
photo credit: shineonsierraleone.org
To learn more about Shine On Sierra Leone, click here.
:) Genevia
