Amma Birth Companions – a Glasgow based charity that supports pregnant women in vulnerable circumstances – has won a prestigious national award for their work.

By Jack Howse

Amma Birth Companions, a Glasgow-based charity dedicated to improve the birthing experiences of pregnant women in vulnerable circumstances, has won a prestigious national award. This recognition underscores the organisation's tireless efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of pregnant women, particularly those facing challenges such as seeking asylum or refugee status.

Highlighting the need for this work, statistics show that maternal mortality rates among women from Black or Asian ethnic backgrounds are far higher than for white women. These inequalities are even deeper for pregnant women from migrant populations, such as asylum seekers or refugees, who face multiple barriers such as isolation, language and insecure housing.

Amma was chosen from over 500 charities across the UK as one of 10 winners across the UK for a GSK IMPACT Award. Judges praised the impact that it has had in a short space of time, and how it has become a significant voice in this field.

Katie Pinnock, Director, UK Charitable Partnerships at GSK, said:

“Amma Birth Companions is a small but incredibly effective charity, giving voice and choice to marginalised women such as asylum seekers at a crucial time in their lives. As the only charity in Scotland specialising in this work, its services are critical to prevent poor birth outcomes among some of Glasgow’s most vulnerable mothers and to give their babies the best possible start in life. In addition to its targeted support services for pregnant women and new mothers, Amma is also driving improvements in maternity care in Scotland, by using the lived experience of the women it supports to directly shape government policy.”

The charity was established in 2019 and has quickly become a vital lifeline for pregnant women in Glasgow, offering crucial services to ensure they do not have to face childbirth alone.

As well as providing one-on-one support through it’s birth companions programme, Amma provides a range of other emotional and practical support services, including midwife-led antenatal classes, parenting workshops and family peer support and social activities.

With this award, Amma Birth Companions will receive £40,000 in unrestricted funding, along with support and leadership development provided by The King’s Fund, a leading health and care charity.

Greater Govanhill has featured Amma in several articles over the years, including an interview with birth companion volunteer Beti, a personal essay by one its service users Mary about motherhood, and an in-depth article about the support Amma provides. In this article Amanda Purdie, head of development at Amma, described to Greater Govanhill the mix of holistic and health education Amma provides:

“We make sure we’re trauma informed in everything we do.” said Amanda when discussing the intensive six-week training program for volunteers. “We'll look at things like FGM [female genital mutilation], as well as what it's like to actually go through the asylum process.”

The charity's impact extends beyond individual support services. It actively advocates for policy changes to address systemic disparities in maternal healthcare, particularly concerning racial inequalities.

Vongayi Mufara, a former service user who is now on the board of Amma, shared in our article how people with experience of the asylum system like herself experience discrimination in Scottish maternal health clinics:

“If I come in as an asylum seeker, it doesn't mean that my body has collapsed or is fading. I can still have the same birthing choices as anyone else. If I want to have a water or home birth, I should be given those choices. But what I've realised is a lot of these women who come into this country are placed on the red pathway [the highest risk category for pregnancy]. Then we are frequently booked for induction which brings with it higher risks of emergency caesarean sections.”

Speaking about the award, Maree Aldam, CEO of Amma Birth Companions, said:

“We are deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award. This recognition fuels our dedication to enhancing maternal wellbeing and reinforces the significance of our efforts to tackle systemic disparities in perinatal care. We gratefully accept this award on behalf of our entire Amma community of staff, volunteers and other supporters whose collective commitment to improving birth experiences deepens the impact of our work.”