CHAMPAIGN, IL — empty tomb’s Mission Match believes that poor African and Asian mothers love their babies as much as other mothers do.

Therefore, Mission Match is offering matching money to churches whose projects help these mothers and their children in Jesus’ name.

“Interpretive Violence”

A 2008 study considered a theory currently debated among anthropologists. That theory proposes that a high level of child-death rates from preventable causes are due to mother neglect.

The study’s author concluded “the most common causes were infectious-contagious diseases (37.9%) and dehumanized care by the attending health professional (24.1%)” in the broader context of extreme poverty. The author continued, “To characterize a bereaved mother as ‘negligent,’ or worse, as accomplices in her child’s death, is an act of interpretive violence …”

The study concluded that “interpretative violence of perpetuating a mother-blame myth” allows others in a position to help prevent these deaths to be relieved of “co-responsibility for this human tragedy.”

Countering Interpretative Violence Against Global Mothers

Mission Match believes that poor African and Asian mothers love their babies as much as any mother does. Yet more than 1 million children under the age of five die each year around the globe from preventable causes.

So Mission Match is inviting churches to take action in Jesus’ name, and support these mothers.

Mission Match offers matching funds to historically Christian churches that have projects to assist global mothers and children. Mission Match focuses on mothers in 40 countries. These countries were not on track to meet global child-death reduction goals as of 2015.

The World Health Organization has listed 22 preventable causes of under-5 child deaths. Mission Match will match a church’s funds raised through member donations specifically for their project, up to $3,000. These projects are in one of the 40 countries and address at least one of the 22 preventable causes of death.

Churches can obtain more information and an application at missionmatch.org, on the Church Application page.

The 2008 study was authored by Marilyn K. Nations, the University of Forteleza, Brazil, and Harvard Medical School Department of Global Health and Social Medicine.

Read more news on Violence Against Women on Missions Box.

CONTACT: Sylvia Ronsvalle, 217-356-9519, research@emptytomb.org