In this video, Kimberly Williams-Paisley shares stories from one of her recent trips to Haiti.  She also shares that the United States spends less than 1% of its budget on foreign aid, and encourages us to stay informed on where that money is going and how it is being used.  Thus, the importance of advocacy.  Advocacy means calling or writing your member of Congress, and letting them know that you support them to protect funding for global health initiatives, such as healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies like you hear about in this video.  Initiatives like this dramatically improve maternal and child health in developing countries like Haiti.  Advocacy also lets our members of Congress know that we care about and are staying educated on matters that affect our nation’s budget and priorities.

Hope Through Healing Hands (HTHH) is on the front lines helping to improve the quality of life for citizens and communities around the world using health as a currency for peace.  Through the prism of health diplomacy, HTHH envisions a world where all individuals and families can obtain access to health care information, services, and support for the opportunity at a fuller life. Specifically, they seek sustainability through health care service and training.  This includes efforts to promote awareness and advocacy for maternal, newborn & child health; healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies; nutrition; clean water; extreme poverty; emergency relief; and global disease such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. Strategically, HTHH encourages global health partnerships by working hand-in-hand with leading organizations that best address these issues in developing nations.

One of Hope Through Healing Hands’ current projects to raise awareness and advocacy for maternal, newborn, and child health is The Mother & Child Project.  In the book, The Mother & Child Project: Raising Our Voices for Health and Hope, influential leaders such as Melinda Gates, Kay Warren, Senator William H. Frist, M.D., Christine Caine, Kimberly Williams-Paisley, Michael W. Smith, Natalie Grant, Jennifer Nettles, Jennie Allen, Amy Grant, and many other inspirational leaders, cultural icons, political experts, academics, and service providers tackle the important topic of maternal and child health in developing countries. Through personal narrative and compelling research, this book educates and inspires people of faith to join in to empower mothers and children worldwide.  This book also includes personal stories from women in places like Kenya, India, Uganda and Burundi. They describe how their lives and those of their children are impacted by the ability to plan the timing and spacing of their pregnancies, and by access to pre-natal and post-natal medical care.

We are so honored to partner with Hope Through Healing Hands through the Mobilizing Medical Missions (M3) Conference.  Click here for more information about the work Hope Through Healing Hands is doing around the world.