St John Scotland announces financial support for programme in Malawi and Zambia

A Scottish charity is attempting to reduce the infant mortality rate in Africa.

St John Scotland announced at an event in Edinburgh it has agreed to divert a portion of the £10,000 of financial aid it provides each year to sub-Saharan Africa to a mother and baby programme in Malawi and Zambia.

Compared to Scotland, an infant is 10 to 15 times more likely to die before its first birthday in Malawi and Zambia.

In Zambia, there is also a risk for one out of every 59 women dying from complications of pregnancy or childbirth, and in Malawi it is one out of every 33 women. In comparison, in Scotland the number is one out of every 6,900 women.

The funds provided by St John Scotland will be used to help train volunteers within communities to provide support to women during pregnancy and delivery, and to mothers and newborn children in the critical periods after birth.

I am immensely proud that we are able to support the mother and baby programme in Africa to help save mothers and newborn babies lives

The programme is currently being run in Malawi and Zambia with the support from St John International and the Big Lottery Fund, with further plans for it to be rolled out in Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Sir Malcolm Ross, prior of St John Scotland: “I am immensely proud that we are able to support the mother and baby programme in conjunction with St John International and other St John establishments in Africa to help save mothers and newborn babies lives.

“It fits exactly with our aim of helping to improve the safety, health and quality of life of people in need.”

David Hope-Jones principal officer of the Scotland-Malawi Partnership described the work of St John as “fantastic”.

He added: “I’m really excited to learn more about this new project which is going to go from strength to strength over the next few years.

“If we stand together, not as two nations, but as one nation in our fight to address the extreme poverty in Malawi in a dignified partnership where both benefit and both contribute, I think that’s where the real change is going to come.”