Leave a gift in your will to Aminata Maternal Foundation as your legacy.

Most Australians aren’t aware that they can leave a gift in their will – yet many people wish to ensure Aminata Maternal Foundation’s work in Sierra Leone continues.

Making a gift in your Will is a wonderful way to continue supporting the organisation and the causes that Aminata Maternal Foundation and you care about, even after your natural life has ended.

We greatly appreciate the generosity of all who desire to contribute to us in their Will. These gifts can help reduce maternal and infant mortality in Sierra Leone during childbirth due to poverty.

Aminata Maternal Foundation’s mission is to contribute to the provision of safe delivery of babies for approximately 3,000 women per year including pre-and post-natal care and education.

To make true this goal:

• We work with our remarkable partners: The Freedom from Fistula Foundation and Aberdeen Women’s Centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone that tackles maternal mortality.
• Strengthening the infrastructure of the maternal healthcare system in Sierra Leone through a Midwifery Training Program.
• Raising awareness of the challenges of access to maternal health in Sierra Leone.
• Working with the youngest mothers, we ensure the safe delivery of babies, pre-and postnatal care, counseling services, and a pathway back to education or a job.

 

Why support Aminata Maternal Foundation?

We are a not-for-profit and volunteer-based organisation created in 2014 and, since then we had been committed to making real our tagline “Motherhood should mark a beginning, not an end”. Some of the shocking facts about maternal health in Sierra Leone, despite the population of 7.8 million, justify our work there:

• 1 in 17 women dies of childbirth in Sierra Leone – one of the most dangerous places to give birth.
• With a demand of 3,500 midwives, there are currently <800 in Sierra Leone.
• Working directly via partnerships with local organisations such as Aberdeen Women’s Centre, we can continue to make great change together and further reduce suffering.

 

How will gifts be used?

Monetary gifts received are used for the general purposes of Aminata Maternal Foundation Australia and its work. This may include supporting the projects in place at the moment:

• MIDWIFE TRAINING – With a population of 7.8 million, Sierra Leone has a critical shortage of midwives. They currently have less than 800 midwives (the country needs 3,500) and less than 10 obstetricians in the country.
• THE DREAM TEAM – This project came about due to Sierra Leone having the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world. This was worsened by the 66% rise in teenage pregnancy during the 2014 Ebola crisis. We are expecting another surge in teenage pregnancies due to the COVID-19 crisis.
• HOSTEL TRAINING PROGRAMME – Empowering teenage mothers aged 11-19 years, training them in life skills to sustain themselves such as food preparation, (handling and catering); Hospitality (hotel cleaning, customer service, waiter roles); Health Education and Hygiene; Literacy and Numeracy
• PREVENTING & CURING FISTULA – Free obstetric fistula repair operations. Obstetric fistula occurs when a mother has a prolonged, obstructed labour, but is unable to access emergency medical care, such as a C-section.

 

What type of gifts we accept?

It is your choice, as the Will-maker (often referred to as the “testator” or “testatrix”), how to divide and allocate the assets that make up your estate.

We will accept all types of gifts, whether monetary or otherwise. Gifts other than money (such as shares, furniture, and land) may be sold after transfer and the proceeds utilised to pursue our mission and purpose.

If you are supporting Aminata Maternal Foundation through your Will, may we ask that you leave your gift for the organisation’s general purposes. We can then use your gift as needed to further our work. If you leave a gift for a specific purpose or project, we may not be able to use the gift as our initiatives may have changed, or we may have enough funding for some projects but not enough for other ones.

If you would like to leave a gift for a specific purpose, please contact Jacqui Keady, Fundraising and Development Manager, on +61 491 129 299 or email comms@aminatafoundation.com.au to discuss so that we can try to ensure Aminata Maternal Foundation will be able to use your gift as you intend.

Further, we strongly encourage anyone considering a gift to Aminata Maternal Foundation to first ensure that they have met their ethical duty to provide for family members and dependents (e.g. current/former spouses, de facto partners, children, grandchildren/members of the household who have been dependent on you and others who you have been living in a close personal relationship with).

If a family member or dependent challenges your Will in Court and the Court thinks you have not adequately provided for that person, the Court may override the provisions of your Will.

 

 

Different type of gifts

There are four main types of gifts you can leave in your Will, including those you may leave to charity. Please discuss with your solicitor the type of gift that will best suit you and your Estate.

• RESIDUAL – One of the most common ways to leave a charitable gift, a residual gift is the remainder of your Estate after first leaving gifts to your loved ones and payment of any financial commitments, funeral arrangements etc.
  Example wording

I leave to AMINATA MATERNAL FOUNDATION of BAY 7 MIDDLEMISS STREET, LAVENDER BAY, NSW 2060, AUSTRALIA, ABN: 96603111584 (proportion of residue to be completed) for its general purposes and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executors.

• PECUNIARY OR SPECIFIC – Another common way to leave a charitable gift, a pecuniary, or specific gift clearly specifies the donation. It can be money, property, stocks, and/or shares.
  Example wording:

I leave to AMINATA MATERNAL FOUNDATION of BAY 7 MIDDLEMISS STREET, LAVENDER BAY, NSW 2060, AUSTRALIA, ABN: 96603111584 (description of item) absolutely for the general purposes of the said charity and I direct that the receipt of the Treasurer or other duly authorised officer shall be a sufficient discharge to my Executors.

• WHOLE ESTATE – This comprises your entire Estate and is usually left by those without family or other preferred beneficiaries, or those wanting to achieve something very significant with their gift.
  
  
• PERCENTAGE OR FRACTIONAL – This is a gift expressed as a percentage or fraction of your Estate. Dividing your Estate by a percentage or fraction considers the changing value of your Estate which can occur due to factors such as inflation, property fluctuations, and changes to the composition of your Estate over time.
  Charitable gifts in Wills of property, stocks, and shares are exempt from capital gains tax.

 

Aminata Maternal Foundation would be grateful for any form of support you choose to provide. For practical reasons however, we would prefer to receive a specific sum of money/item of property directly, as tracking other types of gifts into the future can sometimes become administratively complex.

Making a Will is complex; therefore, we strongly recommend you seek assistance in preparing your Will from a lawyer or other expert (such as the Public Trustee or Trustee and Guardian in your state or territory).

If you would like to leave a gift to Aminata Maternal Foundation, please contact us or ask your solicitor to contact us.

By phone on:
+61 410 112 922

Mail us at:
BAY 7 MIDDLEMISS STREET
LAVENDER BAY NSW 2060

Or via email on:
aminata@aminatafoundation.com.au
comms@aminatafoundation.com.au