Features / Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2023
Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2023, day 21: Project MAMA
Project MAMA exists so that displaced parents have a community around them when they need it most.
The charity, based on Felix Road in Easton, provides holistic support to women throughout pregnancy, birth and early parenthood from a network of midwives, activists, doulas and birth companions who offer help and solidarity for mothers and their children.
The majority of people who receive this support are seeking asylum, have refugee status, or are survivors of modern slavery, and they often face multiple barriers to accessing healthcare in the UK.
is needed now More than ever
Project MAMA aims to address the structural and health inequalities that these migrated women face during the maternity period – and it is currently experiencing unprecedented demand for its vital support services.
The charity states that migrated women are three times more likely to die in childbirth and four times more likely to suffer from postnatal depression than UK-born women. Their babies are also more likely to be stillborn or born prematurely, to have a low birth weight, or to have birth defects, according to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, 2015.
Project MAMA exists so that displaced parents have a community around them when they need it most – image: Project MAMA
Speaking about the charity’s work, Etti Corby, Project MAMA’s communications & fundraising coordinator, says: “Project MAMA exists so that displaced parents have a community around them when they need it most. We provide nurturing, individual-focused support from pregnancy to early parenthood through our one-to-one Mother Companion service.
“Project MAMA also runs a weekly drop-in, MAMAhub, where migrated mamas and their babes can enjoy peer support, share a home-cooked meal, and strengthen their community links.”
Find out more about Project MAMA and how you can support its work via: www.projectmama.org/.
Main image: Project MAMA
Read next:
- The charity supporting Bristol’s migrant mothers
- Bristol Charity Advent Calendar 2023, day 20: Alive
- Creating space for mixed heritage families to connect
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