13 August 2008

Dear Jane and good causes

London Quilters' group quilt was shown at the group's show at Swiss Cottage Library in May and June. It will be raffled, with proceeds going to two charities - North London Hospice, and Hope for Grace Kodindo. Tickets are £1 each, and the draw is at the Knitting and Stitching Show on Sunday 12 October. Hope for Grace Kodindo works to make birth safer for 11,000 women a year in the main hospital in Chad, central Africa. Outside the developed world, childbirth is dangerous, even deadly. In the UK, maternal mortality is 1 in 5000. In Chad, the figure is 1 in 11; they have a saying, "a pregnant woman has one foot in the grave." And 40% of women have at least one child, or are pregnant, by age 17; 6.3 children are born per woman. Life expectancy is 47 years (it's 78 years in the UK). And in Chad, infant mortality is 93 per 1000, compared with 1.6 per 1000 in the UK. Amazing that just £5 will save the life of a pregnant woman in Chad.

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