Sarafina suffered shoulder dystocia and “got stuck” in the birth canal. It took several doctors to get Sarafina out, and it was only due to the access to high-quality healthcare, safe equipment and the doctors in the room that both of them survived. 

It was during this event that Aminata realised her mission, because if she was in Sierra Leone, both of them would have died. Today though, Sarafina and Aminata are both alive and very well. In comparison, Aminata has witnessed women in Sierra Leone bleed to death, and suffer life-long and life-limiting effects of childbirth complications. 

Now, her mission, thanks to this Cataclystic event, is to end maternal and infant mortality and improve the birth outcomes for women in Sierra Leone.