They’re in for a bumpy ride. Three prominent UK mummy bloggers are heading to Bangladesh with Save the Children to see at first-hand what conditions are like for a mother in a poverty-stricken country. I suspect the bloggers will return with change in their hearts and (what else?) panic in their heads about how to create this change. As one of the three, Josie at Sleep is for the Weak puts it, ‘It’s easy to look away’. Which is the one thing the ‘Blogadesh‘ trio won’t be able to do. I’m impressed with their commitment, and looking forward to hearing about what they find. I can see why Save the Children wanted to pair up with three ‘real’ mums; it will make their message seem more immediate to those of us who, like me, find it all too easy to look away.

If you’d like to find out the Blogadesh gang’s progress, click here. There are even tangible ways for the rest of us to help, some of which only take a few seconds.

The easiest way is to add your name to the collection of signatures putting pressure on Nick Clegg to make child mortality and maternal health a priority at the UN Summit this September. They want to collect 100,000 signatures, and hopefully this will make politicians make reducing child mortality rates a higher priority. Nearly nine million children die before they reach their fifth birthday, mainly due to preventable conditions.

I wanted to find out more about life in Bangladesh, and discovered the following.

Textiles account for 80% of the country’s exports. Earlier this year it was announced that the minimum wage for textile workers would be set at 3,000taka, less than £30 a month.
This week I bought some cheap T-shirts and vests. I went home with four items of clothing, and spent less than £20. Before writing this post, I looked at the labels and discovered that three of the four items were made in Bangladesh. Perhaps I should concentrate less on bargains, and more on buying quality clothing for a fair price?

Due to its geographical location, Bangladesh regularly suffers from devastating cyclones. Annual floods are also a problem, resulting in loss of crops, houses and the spread of water-bourne diseases.
All of a sudden, a rainy UK August doesn’t seem quite such a disaster.

The infant mortality rate in Bangladesh is one of the highest in the world. Home deliveries are the norm, with only 12.6% of births attended by a trained professional. 76% of the deaths could have been prevented though immunisation, antibiotics and appropriate hygiene.
The NHS doesn’t get it right every time, but compare the above to the care available in the UK. It really is enough to make any British mother weep.

So best of luck to the Blogadesh brigade. When you started your blogs I bet you never imagine that you’d literally be taken to another world with them.