SIR,

Monmouth Women's Festival welcomed Angela Gorman as the co-founder and chief executive officer of a charity called 'Life For African Mothers' to Monmouth's Baptist Church on Saturday 2nd March.

This event is just one of many being held between 2nd and 10th March.

Angela gave a most interesting, thought provoking and moving account of how watching a BBC Panorama documentary in 2005 about a Dr Kodindo in Chad, Africa and her one-woman mission of trying to prevent the death of women during and after childbirth, led her to set up the charity in 2006.

Angela was an experienced nurse at The Cardiff University Hospital  for 30 years and since 1986 worked as a Senior Sister in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit until she retired in 2008.

She held the audience spellbound as she described some of her 23 trips to various parts of sub-Saharan Africa, where women are still held in very low regard and maternal healthcare is almost non-existant and as a result receive little or no care, life saving treatment or medication during pregnancy and childbirth.

Angela's charity works to provide two very cheap but life saving drugs – magnesium sulphate to prevent eclampsia and Misoprostal to prevent haemorrhaging after childbirth.

If anyone would like further information about this wonderful woman and her charity then please visit http://www.lifeforafricanmothers.org ">www.lifeforafricanmothers.org ;

The audience then joined Angela for lunch, provided by the Festival Committee, and guests were then able to discuss more informally her passion for her work, and passionate is certainly what Angela is.

Life For African Mothers also collects baby bundles which contain all that is needed for a new born – hat, babygros, vests, socks and blankets.

These bundles encourage pregnant mothers to go to the hospital before complications set in.

If anyone wishes to donate a baby bundle they can be taken to The Nelson Museum or to any of the festival events.

Angela's deputy is returning to the Mothering Sunday/ 10th Anniversary of the MWF event in The Priory between 11am and 1pm on Sunday 10th March to collect the baby bundles on behalf of the charity.

Karen Blake

(Monmouth Women's Festival)