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In May 2011 ͞Old Guys͟ Bernie and Ross will bicycle

over 500 KM on challenging dirt tracks crossing the
West African country of Sierra Leone to help in changing

a terrible statistic:


 
  



 









 






 



 





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Training in Calgary at -30 to cycle in Sierra Leone at +30 has its challenges! On
the plus side, some say I look better in a mask.
Thanks to Kory at Zoom Fitness the Old Guys now have a custom training program.
With time growing short before we take off for Sierra Leone, Bernie and I are
tackling the program with increased urgency. Check it out at ___________. That is
the ideal. There are days when our training looks more like our music video
______. Why are we doing this? It is all about raising funds for birthing huts that
will save lives of women in Sierra Leone. Will you help?
Why Birthing Huts?
Imagine giving birth or watching your wife give birth in
an unsanitary environment with no trained staff. Now
imagine a complication like uncontrolled bleeding or
infection or seizure. No nearby clinic, no ambulance
service, no medicine͙no hope. This scenario happens
far too often in Sierra Leone where the rate of maternal
mortality is the highest in the world.
͞Birthing huts͟ is really short-hand for a
comprehensive, ongoing program being managed by
CAUSE Canada (CC). The program does include the
physical birthing huts, but also includes equipment,
medicine, training of birth attendants, nutrition and health education, pre- and post-
natal care, and advocacy. The birthing hut program complements CC͛s other
programs in Sierra Leone. Together they are directed to addressing both the
immediate and the underlying root causes of maternal mortality. What are the main
causes of maternal mortality? See for yourself. Two pages, easy to read, hugely
informative.

Why Sierra Leone?
I visited Sierra Leone with CC in 2008. A country still
recovering from a decade long, violent civil war, I met
upbeat, gentle people with a rich and resilient culture.
The impacts of maternal mortality were clearly evident,
like this woman I met. About my age, she is the
grandmother. War and disease left her the sole caregiver,
breast-feeding where there was clearly no milk. At an age
where she would normally be a revered, supported elder,
she was deparately working to support this and other
dependent children. In Sierra Leone, a small investment
can make a world of difference.
Why CAUSE Canada?
CC has been in Sierra Leone for over 20 years and is one of very few organizations to
continue operations through the devastating ͞Blood Diamond͟ war. CC has
inspirational, highly educated local staff and growing programs that are making a
proven sustainable difference. And there are other surprising connections to CC. á