In November I'm taking on a five-day, 500km cycle ride across Kenya. Raising funds for Child.org, who work with pregnant women, communities and local governments to make pregnancies and births safer in Kenya.

Over the last four years, Child.org have supported over 9,300 pregnant women with life-saving and life-changing antenatal healthcare and advice.

Children born in sub-Saharan Africa are 15 times more likely to die in childhood than children in Europe and North America. The earliest days of life are the most dangerous for children born in Kenya.

Maternal mortality in Kenya is very high, and has increased by 55% between 2017 and 2020. Giving birth is still more dangerous than it should be.

Through Ride Africa it helps:

Increase the number of pregnant women attending antenatal clinics. Timely, appropriate antenatal care saves lives, but many pregnant women still don’t get the life-saving care they are entitled to. Through Team Mum, we’re driving up antenatal care attendance, and making sure pregnant women get antenatal care earlier in their pregnancies.

Train more community health workers to set up and run co-supportive pregnancy groups, arming pregnant women with life-saving advice to look after themselves and their babies (what danger signs to look out for, the importance of delivering in hospital. £33 can sponsor a community health worker to attend a four-day training course on maternal and child health.

Improve the quality of care for pregnant women: ultrasound scans can be life-changing - from knowing you’re having twins, to screening for life-threatening conditions. They should be available for all. £350 can cover the cost of one outreach session with Team Mum’s mobile clinic - bringing free ultrasound scans and comprehensive screening to pregnant women in rural areas.

THANK YOU FOR ANY DONATIONS <3