Delivering Hope
By Jeff James
Anxious energy filled the delivery room at Iceme Health Center as a group of nurses, midwives, and two volunteer doctors surrounded the delivery table. A mother, visibly in pain and struggling through labor, lay at the center of the group. The urgency in their movements and voices suggested a complicated delivery.
I stood behind a Hawaiian themed curtain, watching the clinicians' silhouettes. Some observed quietly, while others moved swiftly, assisting the on-duty nurse. As this shadow play unfolded, I prayed silently for a safe delivery and a healthy baby.
Dr. Elisa Lupi monitors a newborn at the Iceme Health Center.
Moments later, the curtain parted, revealing a bluish-gray newborn carried to a neonatal resuscitation table near the mother’s head. Dr. Elisa Lupi acted swiftly, rubbing the baby vigorously with a towel and manually suctioning the airway to help it breathe. In the tense silence between birth and the first cry, time seemed to stretch endlessly. Fearing the worst, I bowed my head and prayed for life to fill the child’s lungs. Suddenly, a nurse reached past Dr. Lupi, grabbed the baby by one ankle, hoisted it into the air, and delivered a sharp spank to its bottom.
“No!” Dr. Lupi exclaimed, her face registering shock. This outdated technique, once common but now discouraged in modern obstetric care due to its potential to harm fragile newborns, startled everyone. Yet, miraculously, the baby took its first breath and let out a cry. The room erupted in smiles, including Dr. Lupi, as the glorious sound echoed. Amid the relief, this became one of many teachable moments.
Dr. Lisa Gilbert demonstrates resuscitation techniques.
In May, I traveled to Uganda with two exceptional doctors: Dr. Lisa Gilbert, a family physician from Wichita, Kansas, and Dr. Elisa Lupi, an obstetric gynecologist from Verona, Italy, now based in Kenya. Our small SUV, packed with vital supplies—an ultrasound machine, infant resuscitators, balloon tamponades for postpartum hemorrhage, training manikins, and blood pressure devices for assessing hemorrhaging mothers—carried us 400 kilometers from Entebbe to Lira, Uganda. Our mission was to train health professionals from the Diocese of Lira’s Catholic health system in our Safe Passages program, honing emergency obstetric skills in rural settings where maternal mortality is the highest.
Uganda’s maternal mortality rate remains alarmingly high, primarily due to hemorrhage, infections, and hypertensive disorders during childbirth or the postnatal period. Neonatal mortality stands at 22 per 1,000 live births, compared to 3.4 in the United States, driven by birth asphyxia, prematurity complications, and sepsis. These statistics underscore the urgent need for better training and equipment in rural health facilities.
Over two weeks, Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Lupi trained approximately 25 grateful clinicians at Iceme and Minakulu Health Centers. A key focus was teaching ultrasound to identify pregnancy complications. Many rural facilities, including Iceme and Minakulu, lack blood transfusion or cesarean section capabilities. When complications arise, the 1.5-hour journey to a referral hospital—assuming an ambulance is available—can be life-threatening. Postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), the leading cause of maternal deaths, can kill within minutes without intervention. Prenatal ultrasound assessments allow mothers to plan deliveries near hospitals. Additionally, training clinicians to assess shock, and to use balloon tamponades or non-pneumatic anti-shock garments, buys critical time to transport hemorrhaging mothers to advanced care.
Training on the portable ultrasound.
While it’s too early to measure our impact, the training has equipped these clinicians to handle emergencies more effectively. Our commitment continues through an online group, with Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Lupi offering ongoing consultation. This sustained support promises to strengthen maternal and neonatal care in Lira, fostering hope for safer deliveries and healthier futures. One midwife from the group offered these encouraging words: “Let’s cascade the knowledge we have acquired to those who might not have attended this training, and let’s all keep this fire of saving mothers and babies burning.”
Thank you for your support. Because of you and the dedication of Dr. Gilbert and Dr. Lupi, the Safe Passages training is making a meaningful difference. Join us in continuing this vital work by supporting our efforts to save more mothers and babies. Together, we can take the tragedy out of childbirth in Africa.
Open Your Windows
Harare, Zimbabwe - The Faithful House
Dear Friends,
We recently heard from one of the husbands who participated in our Faithful House program in Harare, and his words struck a chord with me.
He said, “I used to be rude and unkind with my wife; I was a tyrant in my own home and my children feared me. But through this program my eyes and heart were opened, and I realized that such behavior had nothing to do with my love. My wife has always been loving and patient with me. She even calls me at work just to see how I’m doing. Over the weeks that have passed since completing this program, my attitude has changed. We now take time to talk as a couple. I’m spending more time with my children, and they seem much happier to be around me, and the “windows of forgiveness” in our home have been opened. Thank you!”
The Windows of Forgiveness
For those not familiar with the Faithful House program, it uses the metaphor of building a traditional thatched-roof house, with each part of the structure relating to building a strong marriage. The windows of a physical house open to light and fresh air. If the windows are never opened, the house remains dark, cold, and stale. In the Faithful House, opening the windows of forgiveness allows the warm light of mercy to enter, removing the darkness that has gathered in our hearts. These windows should be opened daily.
As we look at the window of forgiveness, we acknowledge that every one of us falls short of meeting our goals and obligations. As St. Paul says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Jesus practiced, taught, and commanded forgiveness many times in the New Testament. He has shown us that only in forgiving others and in accepting forgiveness can the light in our houses be restored.
To open the window of forgiveness, we must seek repentance. Repentance means to “turn away from sin and dedicate oneself to a changed life.” Our friend from Zimbabwe, has certainly taken this message to heart.
In May we are returning to Zimbabwe to to train the first cohort of Faithful House couples to be facilitators within their own dioceses. We also hope to work with the Kenyan Council of Catholic Bishops to introduce this transformational program nationwide. In order to do that we need to raise $100,000. If you believe strong marriages and families are the foundation for creating a just and loving world, please consider contributing to our work.
May God bless you and your families, and thank you for your continued support. It is because of your generosity that families are able to repair and grow in God’s love.
Sincerely,
Jeff
Christmas Gift 2025
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. — 1 Peter 4:10
This year’s Christmas gift is a perfect way to give cheerfully to your favorite charity and receive a gift in return to serve those you love! This year for your Christmas donation, we offer you a set of hand-carved wooden spoons from Kenya, made by local artisans with simple tools and brought back in our luggage. The spoons can grace your holiday table or be gifted to a loved one with a reminder that in giving, we receive much more in return.
In 2025, Maternal Life plans to expand our safe birth programming by sending volunteer US physicians to embed within small rural health facilities in Africa with high infant and mortality rates. We will bring life-saving equipment and train staff how to handle obstetric emergencies. We believe this 1-to-1 training model will be more effective than a large-scale classroom seminar. Fostering long-term partnerships with needy clinics will increase our ability to improve outcomes over time. Are you a health professional with a heart for international mission work? Please visit our website for our volunteer application. We look forward to hearing from you!
We also plan to further expand into Zimbabwe, working with the Zimbabwe Conference of Catholic Bishops to provide Faithful House training seminars to all 8 dioceses. With your help, the church in Zimbabwe would like to bring our programming to every parish in the country!
OF WEDDINGS AND ULTRASOUNDS
Sister Florence Chadia described what is happening in Aripea Parish in Northern Uganda, “Now the total number of weddings from last year July is up to 40 couples. It has never happened to have numbers like this, and it is all from the intervention of Faithful House training.” Marriage formation makes a world of difference –married couples have less poverty, less domestic violence, less HIV risk, and women are more likely to receive health care, including an ultrasound while pregnant. We see husbands using money they may have spent on alcohol or friends on the ultrasound. High risk situations such as an abnormal placental location or twins are identified. Everybody wins!
We can help them because of you!
Thank you from Aripea Uganda, Ruiri Kenya, Makiungu, Tanzania and the many places your love and generosity has reached.
2024 Accomplishments
A missionary named Jackie Pullinger, who has spent her life working with the poor and drug addicted in Hong Kong, once said that “God wants us to have soft hearts and hard feet. The trouble with so many of us is that we have hard hearts and soft feet.” She thought that a heart must be broken first in order for it to become soft, and to have hard feet means to continue to persevere in our love for humanity, every day and in every way.
During Jesus’ 3-year ministry it is estimated that he and his disciples walked over 3,000 miles, healing the sick and showing love and compassion for all they encountered. Although insignificant in comparison (our walk is approximately 120 miles), it is their example that drives us to adventure and charity. Our soft feet are hardened through walking continuously for 7 days, and our hearts are softened by compassion for the joyful people whom we meet on this journey. In addition to being a fundraiser for MLI, the core reason we do this walk is to open our hearts to those who have the greatest needs, to give perspective to the blessings of freedom and privilege, and to learn about perseverance in the face of adversity.
What do you have on your bucket list? If not an African safari, then you’re missing out on one of the world’s greatest adventures. But this is no ordinary safari where you arrive in country by plane and then are chauffeured to a posh resort, spending your days peering at wildlife through the narrow window of a Land Cruiser. This safari matches the work of Maternal Life with its grassroots view into the country and people of Kenya. It is a boots-on-the-ground rugged adventure that will have you imagining that you are one of the early explorers or missionaries who were enchanted by this magnificent continent.
Carlos Descalzo, CEO of InJoy Health Education, partnered with Maternal Life for the walk. To read the entirety of his article, please visit InJoy’s blog at: injoyhealtheducation.com/walking-across-kenya-to-support-safe-births-and-secure-families-reflections-and-lessons-learned/
When my wife, son, and I decided to participate in the Safe Passages Walk, we knew there would be a lot of walking involved. But we didn’t realize the extent to which walking – basic, human-powered transportation – would become central to our entire experience in Kenya. Our goals were to bring awareness to maternal health disparities, raise funds, and be in solidarity with Africans like the ones we saw walking for miles every day, just as our ancestors did long ago.
While some children we met were fortunate enough to have a school nearby, others herded goats or fetched water, as survival took precedence over education. Aware of the scarcity of medical services, our group purchased a medical evacuation insurance policy. The local people have no such luxuries. Clinics are few and far between. Pregnant women may walk many miles to seek care, even while in labor.
One of the main things I learned on this walk was to surrender. I did not know how many miles, how many hours, and in what terrain we were going to walk on any given day. But as the trip progressed, we learned to match our emotions to the slow pace of the walk. We all learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable, and with the simpler life that comes from walking.
Because we were walking, we got a closer understanding of the people. Children and families were coming out and peeking through the trees in awe. It is humbling to see how they live with so little. It was especially shocking to see the little kids shepherding and carrying barrels of water.
The most incredible people we met were the 16 camel drovers, our local guides on the trip. They woke up two hours before sunrise to begin preparations for the day, which included packing up the entire camp onto the backs of 27 ornery camels. They each had one set of clothes, one headlamp, and a pair of sandals on their feet. Their resiliency, endurance and humility were beyond belief. Despite obvious fatigue, foot injuries and illness, the drovers always seemed happy, singing and staying positive.
Beyond making us appreciate the comforts of our lives, the walk also gave us a greater sense of urgency to help pregnant women and families in Africa. The medical clinic that we visited was much different than the ones we see in our business. There are rudimentary exam tables, limited equipment, and no ultrasounds except the one that we presented them. The staff was so grateful, believing that it was an answer to their prayers. Not only will an ultrasound diagnosis help a mother transfer to higher care if needed, it will also encourage women to come in for general prenatal care. As one doctor put it, “Who doesn’t want to see their baby?”
Twende Pamoja
“Let’s Go Together”
Our recent 120-mile fundraising walk in Kenya raised over $40,000 for MLI’s programming. The group of 9 intrepid walkers included 3 teenagers. They have each written a reflection on their experience that we wanted to share with you.
By Chiri James
A few weeks ago, along with 8 others, I embarked on a week-long trek across Kenya. 4 trains of camels bore the necessary supplies, and we were guided by a team of camel drovers. The drovers paved a path through the bush with machetes, identified every animal marking and footprint, and navigated using nothing but the horizon and their own sense of direction.
Each morning, we awoke at 5 to the loud groans of the camels, a cacophony that can be quite frightening when unexpected. In our tents, we floundered around for the saving grace of our headlamps, then began the practiced process of packing our bags.
After a quick breakfast and serene sunrise, the team gathered around the remnants of last night’s fire. Here, we read stories about women who had no choice but to walk miles to a hospital while in labor, and broken families that have been repaired by Maternal Life’s programs. These stories were our reminder of why we were walking and kept us moving forward through the rest of the day.
We set off with no idea whether we would be walking 20 or 40 kilometers, trudging through miles of sand, or climbing steep, forested hills. Each day brought a new and drastically different terrain, with its own beauties and challenges. We passed communities with varying cultures, and admired their beautiful, distinct ethnic jewelry and clothing. Eager children peered out from behind trees to watch and wave at us as we plodded along, their precious smiles contagious. Our feet were covered in blisters and our legs ached, but each painful step was in solidarity with the millions of Africans who walk miles every day just for their basic needs, ones many of us take for granted.
When we finally found a place to set up camp each night, we were exhausted, but our work was not done. After helping the drovers unpack the camels, we set to work building our tents and unpacking our bags. Then we gathered around the newly made campfire for long-awaited drinks, a meal, and a chair to sit in, albeit a rickety one. We spent our evenings reflecting on and laughing about our day, the hardships suddenly so distant.
By the time we settled into our sleeping bags at the end of the night, the sky was dark and embellished with a multitude of tiny, twinkling stars - stars that, back home, are hidden by city lights and pollution.
We stared up at them as we fell asleep, filled with a sense of peace, pride and joy, as well as the unavoidable question in the back of our minds: “What on earth will happen tomorrow?”
A Twende Pamoja Reflection by Caitlyn Carmichael
After further evaluation of the play-by-play of this journey, I have determined that, although I definitely was not a fan of every minute of the adventure, I think it gave me a new perspective on life that relieves stress from my life before. I have found now more than ever that you don’t need everything you want to be happy. You don’t need to wait to have a fancy car or a nice house or a great career or retirement to be happy, and it can be so easy to forget that when you are too focused on getting those things.
I learned that when something big and horrible happens in your life, like failing a final or losing a job or totaling your car or leaving your phone on a plane to travel the world without you, although it may seem like the end of the world at the time and the biggest thing to happen to you, there is so much more to life, and those material things are meaningless. I learned that although you don’t know the destination or when you are going to get there, and when it seems hard to believe that you will ever make it out of the jungle, you have to trust that God has a plan for your life, and you will reach your destination. You will eventually make it out of that mountain, and until you do, you can trust that there will be beautiful views and places to rest in the chaos.
Although I can live in much more luxury than I am living in now, I am currently living someone else’s dream of luxury. I need to be more grateful for what I already have and learn that a want for something material is not going to make me happy or satisfy my desire for more. My feelings of happiness and satisfaction could be the exact same now as they would be if I had $10 million extra, and they can be the exact same as someone in Kenya making $5 a day, who’s struggling to feed their family.
I definitely learned the importance of family first, and the value of parents who have a marriage in which they can communicate, compromise and learn to put their love above all else for the sake of the whole family. I have found how incredibly lucky I am to live in a family like that. I am luckier to have a united family than all the material things I could hope for. Even if you have nothing, when you have love and kindness and family, you have everything.
Finding Strength through Adversity by Andrew Descalzo
When I agreed to the walk for Maternal Life International, I had only a vague idea of the challenges it might include. I had some expectations of difficulty, but I found myself unprepared for what lay ahead. There were steep climbs in the heat, fewer breaks than I wanted, and just about every plant I touched scratched, stung, or stuck to me. Then there were days bushwhacking through a dense forest where progress was painfully slow, camp being set up with little daylight remaining, a sleepless night I spent throwing up, and an exhausting day that followed. I expected a little discomfort, but this was more than I had bargained for.
I had forgotten just how comfortable my daily life was. That was made most clear to me by the locals I saw and met along the journey. I would not last very long living as they do. I saw children digging in the dry riverbed for water, which reminded me that hardship and difficulty are part of life. The ease and comfort I am accustomed to is the exception, not the rule. My challenges did not result from bad luck or mistakes, they were a normal part of living without the conveniences I often take for granted. This realization sank in on the last day of the walk. As we walked farther than any of the other days (nearly a marathon in distance) I had an upset stomach that hurt with every step. However, unlike the previous days, I embraced the challenge and did not waste my efforts on internally complaining or asking, “why me?” This change of perspective made the last day feel much easier despite its difficulty. After returning home, remembering that hardship has made me appreciate the comforts I had taken for granted.
Why We Are Called to Adventure by Jeff James
In the old days, in Maasai culture, for a boy to become a man he must live apart from his community for 4 months and then kill a lion with only a knife and spear. The risk of failure is great, but risk is a fundamental element of the equation. Without it, there is no transformative ordeal, no passage to manhood, and no wisdom to impart.
On adventures like these, much of the take-away wisdom rises from winning an internal battle. You fight against fatigue and the ‘weedy brain’ thinking that nags you to stop walking, tells you that you’re hot, that your feet hurt, you’re hungry, your legs are chafing, and your pack is uncomfortable. Winning those battles is a mental game, as you project thoughts into the near future and imagine the balm of completion.
It’s also a game of the heart, finding your internal strength through compassion, by keenly observing the dire needs of the people whom you pass, reflecting on problems, solutions and feelings of gratitude, perhaps even some guilt for your status in life. The wisdom gleaned from those internal victories of heart and mind is our goal, because even the oldest among us desires new wisdom and the time to share it forward.
For the Maasai, their time in the wild as young men ends with the rite of circumcision. The pain and the drama of the ordeal, and the passage to manhood, is memorialized because of it. Other cultures practice different rites of passage, sometimes facial or belly scarring or ritual teeth shaping, but all mark the passing of childhood, and all intend for the memory of that moment to be significant, a lifetime reminder of the wisdom gained and the mission to spread it forward.
In the absence of physical scars, the rites of passage in modern society are the significant memories we create when life veers into adventure, and away from the soft memories of everyday life. In the routine of daily life, it’s easy to forget what really matters and we tend to over-value the mundane, wisdom becoming the synopsis of a TikTok reel. Momentous memories are born in the battle for survival and from the triumphant feeling of success. These memories are mile markers of the moments when we left one self behind and sent a wiser one forward - a fresh soul whose life will forever follow a different trajectory.
That’s why it’s vital for us to answer when adventure calls and embrace risk with open arms. Because, there in the cusp of survival, you will find truth and wisdom beyond what you ever expected.
A Team Effort And a Mission Success
We appreciate our sponsors who made our trek a success. This team of dedicated walkers should be proud of their efforts. We are grateful to have shared this great journey together.
An important stop during our trip was the Ruiri Catholic Health Center where, thanks to a donation from InJoy Health Education, we were able to present Fr. Gifton, the director of the health center, an ultrasound for their newly constructed prenatal and maternity ward.
Fr. Gifton had written to us with their request, “We conduct up to 20 deliveries a month. Having an ultrasound has been our dream for some time now. This is an effort to raise our level of care. It is my sincere wish that we can collaborate to make this dream a reality.”
Delivery room, Ruiri Catholic Health Center
Fr. Gifton told us his congregation had just completed a second floor to their clinic and had been praying for the resources to equip it. Provision of ultrasounds for needy clinics in Africa is one of MLI’s current priorities. Our cost is around $5000 to provide this life-saving service. Learn more here:
Carlos Descalzo, CEO of InJoy, presents Fr. Gifton with the Ultrasound
This is just the beginning, friends. The beginning of many adventures, of lives changed, of families empowered, of women and babies saved through partnerships in maternal health care, and communities coming together for a common cause. Please consider joining us next year for another great adventure for our cause.
World’s Apart
By Dr. George Mulcaire-Jones
This Mother’s Day, we offer reflections on what it means to become a mother from a global perspective.
There are two worlds in which women give birth.
In well-resourced countries, women have access to skilled obstetrical and perinatal care. High-risk conditions such as twins, placenta previa or severe intrauterine growth restriction have been identified by ultrasound prior to labor. If a woman develops a complication such as severe preeclampsia or postpartum hemorrhage, there are midwives, nurses and obstetricians trained to recognize and manage it. Medications to arrest bleeding and control blood pressure are readily available. Blood transfusions or a Cesarean section can be performed. With such skilled care, we expect mothers and babies to leave the hospital in good health. They have had a safe pregnancy and birth.
In many regions in Africa, pregnant women encounter a different world. They may have received no prenatal care. Without an ultrasound, they may have twins, a placenta previa or some other complication – and neither they nor their birth attendants are aware of it. They may deliver in the village with a traditional birth attendant who does not have the training or basic equipment to manage a complication. They may die from a hypertensive crisis or a postpartum hemorrhage without ever reaching a hospital. They may die en route from a ruptured uterus after hours of obstructed labor. They may reach a health facility and find there is no staff, no utero-tonic medications, no capacity for a blood transfusion or Cesarean section.
Lira, Uganda – A pregnant woman receives an ultrasound from a MLI donated device.
The difference in these worlds is reflected in the maternal mortality disparities between well-resourced countries and least developed countries. Maternal mortality is expressed as the maternal mortality ratio (MMR), the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births during a given period.
In Sub-Saharan Africa, the MMR is 531 maternal deaths per 100, 000 live births. This is 133 times higher than in Australia and New Zealand where MMR is lowest (4) and compares to 13 in Europe and North America.
Differences in maternal mortality are also reflected in the lifetime risk of women dying from complications of pregnancy and childbirth during their reproductive life (age 15 to 49).
· In Africa as a whole, the lifetime risk is 1 in 40.
· North America has a lifetime risk of 1 in 2,900.
· The lowest risk countries have a lifetime risk of 1 in 16,000.
Both maternal mortality ratios and lifetime risk of dying from pregnancy and childbirth are higher in rural areas. Women who live more than 35 kilometers from a hospital have nearly 4 times the risk of maternal mortality compared to women living within 5 km of a hospital.
This Mother’s Day we remember and honor in a special way all those mothers who have suffered the tragedy of death or neonatal loss.
Speaking of long walks---This summer, 9 MLI supporters embark on an epic 120-mile walk across Kenya in solidarity with those mothers in Africa who live long distances from health centers. With your support, we walk to make their birth experiences safer, and their journeys to adequate health care more secure. We begin this first annual 7-day Walk for Mothers on June 25. We will be traversing some of the most pristine geography in the world, tent camping among God’s creation, with camels walking alongside to carry our gear. Please visit our website (link below) to meet and sponsor these adventurous and giving souls. We are comprised of 3 groups of families, parents and children, a fitting entourage for an NGO focused on families.
The process of walking continuously for 7 days has great significance. We walk in solidarity with those pregnant mothers who struggle to reach a safe facility to give birth. We walk in solidarity with all those children who walk miles to fetch water and find firewood for their families. We walk in solidarity with those fathers who awake before sunrise to find work with a sustainable wage. May the steady rhythm of our steps mirror the steady steps of all those families in Africa who are healthier, more secure and more prosperous because of our walking. Our goal is to raise $50,000 through our communal efforts, so that MLI can take our programs to new locales where marriage, birth and family suffer from the hardships of extreme poverty. Please help make our walk a success! We will carry our supporters with us every step of the journey.
Please donate in honor of a mother in your life. Your contributions save lives.