In an in-depth interview with BBC Outlook, Aminata talks about her childhood in Sierra Leone, being abducted by armed rebels, and commencing a new life in Australia.
Holding back nothing, Aminata describes the challenges of the birth of her own child and how it catalysed her to help women and babies in Sierra Leone through the Aminata Maternal Foundation.
“We went into labour…after 9 hours it started to go really bad. I remember her not crying. There was silence in the room… We thought something had gone wrong; we had lost her. Then a few minutes later, we heard her cry. I had 7 doctors in the room to make sure I survived, and she survived. Because I was in Australia I survived, my child survived… [If I was in Sierra Leone] I would have died, she would have died.”
Listen to Aminata’s moving interview with Emily Webb on BBC Outlook.
Interested in learning more about Aminata’s journey? Check out her memoir ‘Rising Heart’. The purchase of your copy will help the Aminata Maternal Foundation achieve its vision that ‘No woman or baby dies in childbirth in Sierra Leone due to poverty.’ A portion of the royalties from Rising Heart will be donated to the Aminata Maternal Foundation.
