Mission
The mission of Ivory Coast Mothers and Children (ICMC) is to improve the health and wellbeing of women and children in the Ivory Coast through financing programs that promote disease prevention and treatment. The organisation works alongside The Patrician Nau Clinic with the shared goal of advancing quality healthcare. ICMC is particularly focused on assisting mothers, new-born babies and children under five.
The Ivory Coast Mothers and Children organisation operates in the village of Braffoueby, Cote d’Ivoire and surrounding areas.
Supported Causes
The Ivory Coast Mothers and Children supports healthcare services for women and children. The goal is to build healthier communities through initiatives that deal with healthcare systems and access, infectious diseases and basic support.
Projects that are funded by the Ivory Coast Mothers and Children are focused on healthcare and fall under one or more the following categories:
- Maternal and new-born healthcare
- Disease prevention and treatment
- Community outreach and health education
Projects
Several projects are currently underway including:
- Fight Malnutrition and Restore our Pharmacy in the Ivory Coast – a project focused on healthcare systems and access which was funded in March 2018.
- Create a Laboratory in a Rural Clinic in the Ivory Coast – a project focused on infectious diseases which was funded in November 2017.
Among others, the following projects have been completed:
- Provide Healthcare, Food and School for 100 Orphans – a basic support project completed in January 2015.
- Handwashing in the Classrooms for Disease Prevention – a basic support project completed in March 2016.
The Foundation's History
The idea behind The Ivory Coast Mothers and Children began in 2009 when founder Patsy Mertz saw first-hand how devastating the consequences of poverty and a lack of medical care can be. Mertz was serving in the Peace Corps in Braffoueby on the Ivory Coast at the time. In 2012 she was forced to return home to the United States when civil war made it impossible for her to continue her stay. Patsy left with the certainty that she will continue helping the women and children of the Ivory Coast, even from a distance. She began mobilising a fundraising project with the goal of constructing the Patricia Nau Clinic, so named after her mother. The clinic was completed by 2013 and the first baby was safely delivered in the clinic shortly thereafter.
Through generous financial backing, the clinic is able to scale its reach in the community and continues to provide effective and reliable healthcare services to locals. Currently, the Ivory Coast Mothers and Children organisation works with local leaders, a network of NGOs and clinics in the region as well as the Ministry of Health to implement life-saving initiatives and continue to help the Patricia Nau clinic with its supportive services.