Judith is a 51 year old retired teacher from Kayosha, Zambia. She was already volunteering for the Kayosha Health Center when she learnt about St John’s Mother and Baby programme from a clinic officer.

I was interested in becoming a St John volunteer because I wanted to go out into my community and help mothers and children,” Judith remembers.I have already been a volunteer in the past, but nobody taught me how we can help pregnant women. For example, I did not know about the danger signs which can occur during a pregnancy, and what to do to help the mother.

Sometimes, Judith is joined by Charles when she is visiting families at home, because St John volunteers always go out in teams. Charles is a 52 year old farmer from Kayosha. Today, Judith and Charles are talking to Modesta, who is enrolled in St John’s Mother and Baby Programme and recently delivered her baby girl Huchai at the health center.

Judith and Charles can see the benefits of the maternal food banks for the poorest women in the villages that were introduced a few months ago in Kayosha as a new activity of the St John programme. “Women get food support from the food banks when they deliver at the clinic,” explains Judith.

“We have been trained by St John on how to start food banks and how to manage them”, Charles remembers. “Now the communities see that it is a good thing. People contribute whatever they have: Ground nuts, maize, bananas or tomatoes.” When the volunteers visit a women at home who needs support, they recommend her to the foodbank committee. “There is no jealousy from other people”, adds Judith.

Everyone wants to help, and we hope the St John mother and  baby programme can continue so we can help more families.

Read more about our programme in Kayosha