Pants from Perthshire bring hope to Ethiopian mothers

(Apr 10, 2013, (Perthshire Advertise))--A kindly granny from Kinross has made collecting unwanted pants her mission in life. Jo Middlemiss (64) has joined forces with her cousin from Glasgow to help women in Ethiopia rebuild their health and self-esteem because they suffered complications after a difficult time having a baby. 

For the last three years, Jo has gone out to Southern Ethiopia to a clinic helping women who suffer from a medical condition called uterine prolapse. Because of the lack of midwife care in Africa, a huge number of prolapses occur when the new mothers don’t receive the care they need after childbirth. Jo, a life coach in Kinross, was previously a teacher. She’s has three young grandchildren and is currently in Ireland running a charity half-marathon.

For several years, she heard stories about the need of mothers in Ethiopia from her cousin Maureen Burnett who had been involved with a women’s refuge. Volunteers worked to stop the needless suffering of childbirth injuries going untreated.

The Ethiopian Medical Project (EMP) helps fund the supply of medicines, food, transport and pessaries and also pays for professional development for local people. This year, the clinic is hoping to get involved with 2,000 mothers. They get food, transport to the clinic, personal essentials and help to prepare for surgery. Read more from Perthshire Advertise »

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