We felt so accomplished to be able to use our online voices as a tool to bring both global health awareness and real aid to a cause that compels us all no matter where in the world it’s happening or how far it may feel. We understand how interconnected we all are and a mother suffering miles away, living in conditions we have no real perspective of and facing problems we rarely even give a second thought to is actually something that needs to concern us all. The well-being of all our children is the well-being of humanity’s future.

But with that sense of accomplishment also came a need to know more. We wanted to know who these mothers and children we were helping were. We wanted to see faces, learn names and hear their stories of the real impact these type of programs have on them. We wanted to go beyond the horrifying statistics and celebrate the stories of hope.

Shot@Life and the United Nations Foundation heard our requests and we are now celebrating “28 Days of Impact” throughout the month of February. As a follow up to Blogust, 28 bloggers are bringing to life the stories behind the work being done by Shot@Life and their partners.

Meet Rodha Mahamud

Rodha lives in Bossaso, Somalia. Children born in Somalia have a higher chance of dying before their 5th birthday than anywhere else in the world. I doubt Rodha is aware of that statistic as a fact, but she doesn’t need to — she’s actually living proof of it. Rodha lost two of her nine children to measles after having her family displaced several times before they settled in a nearby displacement camp in Bossaso. That’s where she lost her two children and that’s also when she learned that there are vaccines that can prevent death from so many diseases, like measles.

Soon after she found out about  the Child Health Day, put together by the Ministries of Health, UNICEF and the World Health Organization. Volunteer social mobilizers from the communities go door to door to bring women with children under five to a Child Health Day clinic to receive a whole package of free healthcare, including immunizations. Now that Rodha was informed of the options accessible to her family thanks to these efforts, she decided to protect the children she has left and took her 9-month-old baby in for immunizations and a complete health package and assessment.

The impact can also be seen in this video by UNICEF correspondent Susannah Price reporting on a Child Health Day in Somalia. At 2:30 you will meet Rodha and her 9-month-old child.

The impact of vaccines on the lives of children around the world is incredible. Now, you can help sustain the impact by sending an email to your member of congress. Welcome your members to the 113th Congress and ask them to make sure that global health and vaccines are a priority in the new Congress. Take action and make an impact!

This story comes from UNICEF Somalia and is part of Shot@Life’s ’28 Days of Impact’ Campaign. A follow up to Blogust to raise awareness for global vaccines and the work being done by Shot@Life and their partners to help give children around the world a shot at a healthy life. Each day in February, you can read another impactful story on global childhood vaccines. Tomorrow, don’t miss Amy Graff’s post on BabyCenter! Go to www.shotatlife.org/impact to learn more.

{Photo Credit: UNICEF- Somalia. Correspondent Susannah Price reports.}

Photo by Bethany L King

Although we are – THANK GOD – past this stage at our house, some of you might be thinking about starting potty training or maybe are in the middle of it right now and if you are Latina, you might be able to relate to the following story. Besides, I’ll be going through it all over again soon, as I am four months pregnant with my second child!! So, I figured this is as good a time as any to reminisce about how it all used to be and remind myself of how it all will be in the not-too-far away future. Once you’re done reading this, I’ll tell you one HUGE reason why holding off potty training for another month is a good idea…besides pissing your mothers off

That was then…

I don’t know if this is some kind of Latina thing or what. A little while before my daughter’s first birthday, my mother started her daily reminders of how by the time her kids turned uno, “ya no usaban pañales.” How did she do that? I have no idea, but it should suffice to say that she had the help of a full-time nanny who lived with us!

Anyhow, this is the way my mother greets me on a pretty regular basis:

- “¿La sentaste?” (meaning, did you sit her on the potty chair?)

I ignore her.

- “You have to follow her around with the basenica,” she continues con la misma cantaleta. Actually, the correct spelling is basinica, my mother’s name for potty chair, but she doesn’t like to say it like that.

I ignore her.

“Ya va a cumplir DOS años,” she says almost embarrassed that she’s almost two and still wears diapers, ¡ni que fuera SU hija!

Since I’m ignoring her, she decides to talk directly to Vanessa.

- “This summer, you’ll be out of diapers.” Vanessa just looks at her and smiles.

I stop ignoring her and start attacking her.

- “Claro, since you’ll be the one taking care of that…” I let her have it as I roll my eyes.

It kills me when my mom does this to me. She makes me feel crappy, like I’m not putting enough effort into helping my daughter – who understands every single thing she hears even when you’re not talking to her – use panties once and for all. In fact, nothing would make me happier!

I hate this task, especially because rare is the time when Vanessa actually allows me to change her diaper without making it a wrestling match – which unbelievably, I almost always end up losing. I’ve ran out of things to say or do to distract her to avoid smearing poop all over the place. In fact, I actually dread the moment I have to change her diaper! So, it should be obvious, that no one would want her to make the transition more than I. But truth be told, it is not that easy. Yet, definitely de éste verano no pasa. It will happen before the summer is over.

Unfortunately, everything points to failure. We’ve actually gone back backwards in the process. When I bought the potty and I started teaching Vanessa what it was about, everything was going viento en popa. In fact, I was blown away with how quickly she learned to say “caca” when she wanted to poop and we’d go sit on the potty and for the most part, things actually came out fine, pardon the pun. These days, she doesn’t say a word to me and if I happen to notice she wants to go “caca,” just the mere mention of the word, makes her run away screaming “nooooooo.” ¡Qué exagerada!

I think what set us back has been the rotten weather. It’s cold and the majority of our house is carpeted, so the idea of leaving Vanessa roam naked so she can understand what’s happening – like some have suggested – doesn’t really appeal to me. Totalmente asqueroso, ¿no creen? Whatever… the point is that now that the summer is almost here, I’m going to take heed, but only when we’re in the kitchen or family room which have hardwood floors.

In the  meantime, I’ll have to continue putting up with my mother’s cantaleta:

- “Ya no la sientas, ¿no?” she asks in defeat when she comes through the door. Not even a ‘hello.’ – “Of course I do,” I lie entre dientes.

Am I the only one going through this?

This is now…

I’m happy to report that Vanessa has actually been off diapers for almost 6 months, although not completely. She still wears them at night and now that I know what Unicef and Pampers are doing, I’m in no rush to change that (and you shouldn’t either, at least until the campaign ends on May 1, 2009). I hope you feel the same once you find out what their “One Pack = One Vaccine” campaign is all about.

Pampers and acclaimed Latina actress Salma Hayek have joined forces with Unicef to help protect mothers and their newborns against tetanus in less-industrialized countries.

Your part in the equation? It’s actually pretty simple because just by buying a specially-marked pack of Pampers diapers or wipes, you could be saving someone’s life. Each qualified product purchased means one life-saving vaccine.

The numbers are staggering. Did you know that maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNT), a preventable disease, claims the lives of approximately 128,000 infants and up to 30,000 mothers in less industrialized nations each year? That amounts to  one newborn death every four minutes. The key word here? Preventable. So, lets do our part.

SpanglishBaby strongly supports this campaign and we’re urging all our readers to do the same by either purchasing these products or spreading the word – or both!

To help get you started, Pampers has put together a set of four (4) “One Pack = One Vaccine” campaign onesies as well as a coupon for a specially-marked pack of diapers which we’ll be giving away to one lucky winner.

How to win:

Leave us a comment telling us your funny potty-training story or, if you haven’t gone through that rite of passage yet, what you dread about the thought of it.

For the part that nobody likes, but we’ve gotta have, check out the Giveaway Rules.

This giveaway ends at midnight EST on Sunday, April 12th. Good luck to all!