"Yehri Wi Cry," Inc. has launched its "Altruism Reflected Tangibly For Life" Campaign at The Lexington Social House (1718 Vine Street, Hollywood, California 90028) to create an atmosphere of giving back through the hands of the "art lover."
The name translates from the Sierra Leonean dialect of Krio into "Hear Our Cry."
In a press release the media relations person Agnes M. Erskine said all proceeds have been put aside to benefit the organisation’s (Yehri Wi Cry which means Hear Our Cry in Krio) mission to alleviate the maternal and infant health crisis in Sierra Leone, and in turn save the lives of mothers and children.
"We wanted to provide a way for our general audience to get involved without feeling overwhelmed by constant facts and statistics. Since art is universal and we all can relate, we figured if we could create an avenue for artists to express the seriousness of the maternal health system in Sierra Leone through their art, the message would be better conveyed and received," said Yehri Wi Cry Co-Founder and Co-Vice President, Nadia Sasso.
The launch marked the beginning of the nationwide campaign. After artists have submitted electronic portfolios of their work, Facebook users will have a chance to vote on their favorite pieces. The highest voted piece will be announced on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at the Annual Green White and Blue Ball in Washington, DC.
In 2010, childhood friends Marie Mansaray, Nadia Sasso, and Zainab Fadlu-Deen were engaged in a conversation about how they could give back to a country that they felt so close to, yet still distant. Although born in the United States, their parents are natives of Sierra Leone, a country where women of lower class tend to lack the health care resources necessary to carry a full term pregnancy into a successful delivery. They founded Yehri Wi Cry (YWC), a project geared towards diminishing the maternal and infant mortality crisis in the country.
For their first initiative, a team of YWC members and founders traveled to Sierra Leone on July 31, 2011 to distribute birthing kits and incentive packages, and to educate the global community about the magnitude of prenatal care and its significance to a successful birthing process. The maternal kits have proven to improve the livelihood of women and their babies during childbirth in villages where facilities are not available or are beyond their reach financially. YWC has already established partnerships with doctors from Sierra Leone, which will contribute to the effectiveness and efficiency of their mission.
