We are thrilled to announce that Edwina Bartholomew has joined the UNICEF Australia family as an Ambassador.
Edwina will volunteer her time to raise awareness and help our team to protect children around the world.
In March 2021, Edwina and her partner Neil became proud parents to their little boy, Thomas. To celebrate her first Mother’s Day as a mother of two, Edwina has made a commitment to be a champion for children, no matter who they are or where they live.
Here, she reflects on the birth of her baby boy and why working with UNICEF means so much.
Edwina’s gift to children this Mother’s Day
This Sunday will be my first Mother’s Day as a mother of two. We welcomed a baby boy into our family on the first of March.
It was a memorable time for so many reasons.
Firstly, the hospital was strangely quiet inside due to COVID. Outside, it was pouring rain as the entire East Coast of Australia endured one of the worst flooding events in our history. And on the television each night, the horrific conflict in Ukraine was just beginning.
As I sat in my hospital bed nursing my tiny son, I watched as pregnant Ukrainian women were giving birth in hospital basements and bomb shelters. Many of these women were alone, their partners already fighting, their other children bundled off to relatives in the country or sent across the border to safety. For first time mums, it must have been especially terrifying.
What were they doing just a few weeks earlier? Preparing the nursery? Stocking up on nappies? Folding small clothes? Wondering what the future would hold for their little sons and daughters?
Access to health care is now increasingly difficult in Ukraine. There have been at least 150 attacks on health centres since the war began. This means many mothers and babies don’t have a safe place to deliver or receive ongoing postnatal care.
I want to make sure other mums can keep their kids healthy and safe, no matter where they live.
I'm thrilled to announce that I have joined the team at UNICEF Australia as an Ambassador to build brighter futures for children everywhere.
I’ll be doing what I can to help these mums on Mother’s Day, and you can too.
The gifts including nutrition packs and newborn bundles will be sent to mums-to-be around the world in Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan and beyond.
Together, we can ensure all children have the best start to life – no matter what.
Edwina Bartholomew
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