Saving Moses: Rescuing Little Lives Around the World

Much like Moses had a calling and purpose for his life, those at Saving Moses believe every other child does, too.

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Saving Moses, an organization that is “passionate about saving the most helpless and vulnerable population: babies,” was born after a heartbreaking experience Sarah Bowling had when she was in Ethiopia in 2009. She came across two baby girls, twins, that were left out in a field to perish. When Bowling took little Ruth and Sarah to an orphanage in search of a safe refuge for them, she was met with resistance. The girls were too young to take care of because they required too many resources and more attention than could be supplied. In fact, lots of orphanages turn babies away because they cannot afford to raise them. This revelation led Bowling to start Saving Moses. It stems from the story of Moses who was sent down the Nile River and found by Pharoah’s daughter. She selflessly saved him from death, gave him a home, and raised him up into manhood. Moses was later chosen by God to lead a nation to freedom. Much like Moses had a calling and purpose for his life, those at Saving Moses believe every other child does, too.

There are many parts to the organization, including a few programs that Saving Moses “fund[s] and establish[es]…in nations of the world that record the highest infant mortality rate and where babies of sex workers are most susceptible to exploitation.” Malnutrition Angola is a program that provides six clinics with therapeutic milk in the Benguela province of Angola. This milk has steroid-like properties that boost nutrients into severely malnourished children to help them survive.

The process takes about 4-6 weeks from the moment a mother walks in the door, and once the baby is healthier and stronger, they are discharged. Because it is hard for the mothers to sustain themselves while the babies are getting treatment, many of them drop out before the treatment is over. In 2015, Saving Moses began feeding the mothers, too, in order to encourage them to stay. Angola, Africa was chosen because it has the highest infant mortality rate in the world. New York Times even labeled the country as the “world’s deadliest country for kids.” Since the initiation of the program, survival rates of those who complete the whole process is up to 86%.

Nightcare Cambodia is a program that began in 2012 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s very similar to a normal daycare except it is run during the nighttime. Babies are dropped off while their mothers go to work. They receive fresh changes of clothes after being bathed, a nutritious meal, time to play, and a lesson before being put to bed until the next morning when their mothers arrive to get them. Saving Moses jumped into action because Cambodia has one of the highest rates of sex workers in history.

While there are aids, which work to end the sex trade, not enough 0-5-year-olds are getting the attention and help they need. That’s where Saving Moses comes into play. They are guarding these children against being locked in a room at home for hours, selling condoms, facing abuse, and being exposed to their mothers’ business with clients. By showing love and kindness to these children and protecting them like the treasures they are, Saving Moses has been able to reach the hearts of multiple mothers. When families need additional aid, Saving Moses sends them to trusted organizations for further help.

Birth and Infant Aid is the third program run by Saving Moses in Afghanistan. Conditions are rough as health-care centers and midwives are not easy to come by, the terrain is hard to trek, and women are left to give birth at home alone in unsanitary environments. Too often, even when the babies survive, they contract illnesses and diseases because there is a “lack of knowledge in basic infant care.” Saving Moses combats this gap by “preparing midwives to save lives every day, funding postnatal vaccinations, and teaching basic life-saving skills in communities” in their four rural clinics. The workers believe in this educational program because the lack of this knowledge causes so many preventable deaths. They are hoping that, as they train “community leaders to identify warning signs during pregnancy, practical birthing skills, and how to properly care for newborns,” these skills will spread throughout the rest of the communities and, eventually, “become common knowledge.”

MULA serves as an enterprise of Saving Moses “that compels thought and challenges action.” For more information about the impact that Saving Moses is having on lives all around the world, click here. To become a hero in the Hero Program by giving a monthly donation or to give just a one-time gift, click here. To stay up-to-date with the organization, click here.

 

Featured Image by Jessica Mulder
InText Image by Zaid Abu Taha

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About the Author

Becca is a gentle soul who seeks the best in the world and in others. She is easily touched by the beauty of books, music, and art. Though she aspires to write as eloquently as Emily Dickinson or Lang Leav, she hopes to make her own mark on the world one day. She dreams of leaving behind a voice that sparks creativity, imagination, hope, love, joy, and faith.