INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL NGO ALIMA DEBUTS ANIMATED VIDEO SERIES, "ODE TO STRANGERS," TO SPOTLIGHT MATERNAL HEALTH ISSUES IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

MOMS ACROSS THE WORLD SHARE PERSONAL STORIES TO RAISE FUNDS AND IMPROVE HEALTHCARE FOR MOTHERS

NEW YORK, Oct. 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action) has launched Ode to Strangers, an inspirational storytelling campaign that highlights the crisis of maternal mortality in sub-Saharan Africa and builds support for ALIMA's health programs for mothers—before, during, and after giving birth. Nearly 70% of the world's maternal deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa and 75% of those deaths are tied to treatable childbirth complications like hypertension, pre-eclampsia, and respiratory infection.

ALIMA's maternal healthcare efforts include the scaling of a research program called Wakobo-Ti-Kodro, which uses a tablet-based app to help traditional birth attendants improve management of high-risk pregnancies and make timely and potentially life-saving interventions. ALIMA launched a beta version of the app in October 2023 in the Central African Republic (CAR), where maternal mortality rates are among the highest globally and many women give birth at home. The pilot program showed better-than-expected adoption by birth attendants and has reached over 1,850 expectant mothers. ALIMA plans to scale use of the app to 23,000 women in CAR over the next three years, and will explore adapting the app for similar interventions in Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Guinea. 

"Mothers across Sub-Saharan Africa do not have affordable or accessible care, putting them in grave danger," said Charlie Kunzer, executive director of ALIMA USA. "For 15 years, ALIMA has worked to reach women in remote and crisis contexts, screen for health complications, and provide complete perinatal care. But the region's maternal health crisis won't be solved through treatment alone; we must do more to build fundamental capacity. That's why ALIMA invests in programs like Wakobo-Ti-Kodro, which uses technology to bring medical screenings to scale at a community level."

Ode to Strangers features generations of mothers from four corners of the world sharing crisis moments when a stranger's actions changed the course of their lives. ALIMA collected the stories to inspire more people to help mothers in crisis today. The series debuts with four incredible stories and two haunting films, vividly illustrated and animated.

A Vietnamese refugee struggling in childbirth amidst a tropical storm, saved by an unnamed woman; an Iranian mother fleeing the country, reunited with her daughters thanks to a kind train conductor; a mother in Brazil nearly loses her child to a choking accident but the girl is rescued by a helpful bystander; a mom in Cameroon and two of her newborn triplets are saved when a kind villager alerts an ALIMA-run hospital. Spanning generations and continents, each story spotlights a challenge sub-Saharan mothers face today, from medical deserts to forced migration. Each ends with a reminder: You don't need to be there to be there. You can be a stranger who cares.

Ode to Strangers was created by award-winning marketing agency Nazar Works. "People today are hyper-aware of global crises to the point of overwhelm, but there's a lack of hope around our ability to make things better. We created Ode to Strangers to re-instill the belief that compassion is a superpower each of us can activate," said Neda Azarfar, managing director of Nazar Works. "By sharing stories of transformative kindness, we aim to reignite a collective hope and prompt everyday people to tap into their power to change–maybe not the world–but a single story."

The series was directed and produced by Malu Lara, illustrated by Rohan Eason, animated by Motionauts, and includes original music composition and sound design from MassiveMusic.

https://odetostrangers.alima.ngo/

About ALIMA:
ALIMA (The Alliance for International Medical Action) is a medical humanitarian organization based in Dakar, Senegal, that has been saving lives in sub-Saharan Africa since 2009. ALIMA's unique model focuses on building alliances between local health workers, national medical organizations, and researchers. ALIMA has treated more than 13 million patients in 15 countries and has launched more than 30 research projects—notably on maternal and child health, malnutrition, malaria, Ebola, and COVID-19.

Contact: 
Caroline Hall
[email protected]
+1 (206) 819-8749

SOURCE ALIMA