Holmdel Mom to Visit Uganda with UN Foundation

Many of us give and advocate for reputable charities with the understanding that we will probably never get to meet the people whom we are helping. So you could imagine my surprise, when I was asked to fly out to Africa in two weeks time to observe programs supported by Shot@Life, the campaign that I have advocated, fundraised, written and spoken in support of through the Forbes listed website I founded, World Moms Blog.  

Well, practice what you preach, the saying goes.  Since September 2011 I’ve been advocating for access to life-saving vaccines for children in the developing world. And this week I found myself having two sore arms after receiving routine immunizations for an opportunity to meet some of the families benefitting from the programs that I’ve been championing from home in the USA. 

The invitation from the UN Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign came as a surprise, and I had less than 24 hours to decide. Once on the ground, we will be travelling in UN Vehicles with UN staff and observing UNICEF’s bi- and tri-annual Family and Child Health Days, where children are given Vitamin A tablets to boost immunity and prevent blindness, deworming tablets to treat parasitic infections, routine immunizations, monitoring for nutritional status and mosquito nets to prevent malaria. We will also be visiting rural schools and other places in the communities. When armed with these experiences to draw from, I am excited to brainstorm new ways to advocate for global health, which, by the way, is an issue that is bipartisan. Those places of common ground are often difficult to find among the current political climate of an election year.       

So many things are racing through my mind.  It will be, no doubt, difficult to leave my family behind. I’m a stay-at-home mom and my daughters depend on my being there. For this one week, Dad will be taking the reins, and I know he can do it. And they can do it.

Tonight, while I sat a little longer with my youngest in the dark of her room before I put her down to bed, I realized that I will be back in that same chair, in that same hold before I know it. And, I will be back to spending mornings waiting and talking with my older daughter at her bus stop. But I can’t help but feel a little naïve to just how much this trip is going to change my life, and in turn, theirs, too. 

You can follow the Shot@Life trip to Uganda from the World Moms Blog Facebook Page.  To learn more about life-saving vaccinations programs for children and how you can potentially save a child’s life for only $20, go to the Shot@Life website.