Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Climb Mountains. Save Lives.

Welcome to the official Mountains for Moms blog. We are a group of ambitious and adventurous Cornellians who believe that we can change the lives of women through our combined efforts and drive. What are we doing to prove our dedication? We are climbing 

Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Have you heard of it? It's usually referred to as the "roof of Africa" and that is where you will find us this January.

"Why are you climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro?"

Great question - we hear this a lot. We are climbing the mountain because 50,000-100,000 women are suffering right now, suffering due to a condition called obstetric fistula, and we believe that these woman can be saved. An obstetric fistula occurs in the birth canal of a woman after obstructed labor that can last over 24 hours (usually due to young pregnancies or lack to quality obstetric care). What results is a hole that leaves the woman incontinent for the rest of her life, leading to embarrassment, discomfort and social isolation from her family and village. However, with a simple surgery, the hole can be repaired, and the woman can lead a normal life. 

"So how are you actually saving their lives?"

That's where OperationOF comes in. Founded by a Cornell alum, Seth Cochran, it is a non-profit based out of London that provides these women with transportation to clinics, the surgery, rehabilitation, skills training and a small microfund to get them on their feet. OperationOF has established clinic with doctors in Malawi, Zambia, and is expanding into Madagascar. As we fundraise this fall, all proceeds will be going to OperationOF. You can find out more information on their website operationof.org.

$19,341

That's the amount of money we will be raising for these women. 

80

That's the number of women that we, a collection of completely different people from a whole myriad of places, can come together to SAVE.

98

That's the amount of days until we find ourselves in Tanzania, standing at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro, ready to go. Bring it on.


Read more about us at www.strikingly.com/mountainsformomscornell or contact Kristen Barnett (kcb74@cornell.edu) with any questions.

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