Celebrating Women

This last Saturday Del Rio's Rose Jolee was poured at the Women Making a Difference event in Denver, CO. The event was organized by two non profits, ECTA-International and The 1010 Project. The afternoon featured interactive exhibits sharing the stories of women who have made an effort to alleviate global problems. It was an exciting event with wonderful stories of hope. We are thrilled to have attended and would like to share one of the stories.

Amanda's Story
Amanda is a founding member of ECTA-International. Here is the event that led her to her work in training village health workers in rural India.

I was 14 weeks pregnant with my second child and having a miscarriage. I had tried bed rest to no avail and had to be carried on a stretcher to the nearest PHC, which was 3 hours away. I had lost a lot of blood, about 2 liters, and my husband couldn't get an IV in my already collapsed veins. I was able to tell him to give me a saline enema instead and I held the bag as I was carried out. The men of the village had to carry me in the dark on a rainy night. The trail was so slippery they abandoned their shoes and walked barefoot. Then they loaded me in a small van and took me to the PHC. Despite the fact that we had called ahead the doctor and nurse were asleep, the instruments were not sterilized and no one took my vitals. If it weren't for my medic husband, I would have died hours earlier and the doctor squandered the borrowed time I was running on. I was lying on the bed knowing what they were about to do, I had seen D & C's done many times working in the government hospital. I told my husband as I stared out the dark window, "I know exactly what is about to happen to me and it is my worst nightmare come true. I have seen how rough they are, how bad the women scream. You know I was reading today before this all happened that compassion means 'to truly suffer with.' I suppose I'll be compassionate after this." I feel fondness for that moment and that place because of what I learned. I know the feeling of being carried out, the feel of the steel bed. I can more closely identify with the fears of an Indian woman, and because of that I will always be connected with India and its mothers.

What is ECTA-International doing?

Amanda Phillips and her husband started the Dayako Sagar (Ocean of Mercy) Maternal Health Initiative. This initiative gives women who decide to deliver at home a healthier birth and provides access to specialized care for those who desire help at the time of delivery. with the help of ECTA all pregnant women are visited in their homes monthly to receive proper screening and care, information about nutrition, the development of their fetus, hygiene and warning signs to look out for while pregnant.

Amanda training the village health workers

Maternal Health Exhibit

Follow these links to learn more about ECTA International and The 1010 Project.