Postpartum women in Saharawi refugee camps

Hello:

I'm seeking your support for a women's health project in the Saharawi refugee camps in southwest Algeria – a cause close to my daughter Maxine’s and my heart.

Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony in Northwest Africa, was forcibly occupied by Morocco in 1975. Ever since then, the Saharawis have been largely displaced as refugees in the harsh conditions of refugee camps in southwest Algeria. Despite this, their cause has received little to no international attention.

Early in 2024, Maxine and I had the life-changing experience of running the Sahara Marathon while staying with Najla Mohamed-Lamin and her family. Najla was one of BBC's 100 Women to Watch in 2023 for good reason: she is a truly inspiring and courageous person – a climate activist who among many other things, started a library in one of the camps that serves as a hub for children's and women's health programming.

Najla gave birth to her second child in Spain in the spring, returning to the camps just recently. Tragically, on the heels of terrible heat and drought made worse by climate change, the Saharawis in the camps are now trying to cope with floods caused by torrential rain.

Najla’s library hub provides a safe space for women to talk about various women's health issues and to receive postnatal, breastfeeding and other supplies. I am raising funds to assist her in providing some additional supplies to women who have just given birth – basic things that we take for granted here, including:

• iron (many women are anemic)

• birthing pillow (to sit on, to relieve pain and discomfort after delivery)

• medicated gel (to reduce pain associated with hemorrhoids)

I understand how difficult it is to choose which causes to support. I hope you will consider this opportunity to provide much-needed tangible support to Saharawi women.

With sincere thanks,

Lise