As the tug-of-war over abortion carries on in the United States, including last year's death of Roe v. Wade, it's important to remember the mission of saving unborn children continues across the planet. And sometimes like-minded organizations need to link arms to get the job done.
We can share the stories of three babies in Africa who were saved recently. Two pregnant women decided to choose life for their children when they discovered StandUpGirl.com, a 501(c)(3) foundation with a worldwide reach that helps young women facing unexpected pregnancies. Their focus is expectant moms aged 12 to 24 years old.
The foundation, which is an affiliate of Heartbeat International, has volunteers who respond to messages from across the globe and connect these young women to educational materials, real answers to questions, and a community of support.
The connection made there led these two women to a pregnancy center in Tanzania, which is another affiliate of Heartbeat International, the largest network of pregnancy help in the U.S. and the world. But that's not all: One of the women also accepted Christ during the process. So not only was her child saved, but so was she.
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Another young woman in Nairobi reached out to StandUpGirl for help. This particular young woman was studying at a local university and facing troubling adversity.
"Her parents would not allow her to come home pregnant, and school was closing for the winter break," said Dawn Marie Perez, the foundation's executive director. "The StandUpGirl.com staff was able to find two different resources on the ground in Nairobi with help from the international team at Heartbeat International."
A series of email and phone calls followed between organizations, and the results were incredible.
"We were able to get an extension for the young mom to stay on campus over the winter break and a grant to continue at school," Perez said. "In March her little girl was born, and she was able to graduate from the university. Praise God."
And this young woman's story seems to be going well so far, proving once again that babies are not a roadblock to a woman's success. Perez shared part of a note the young woman sent her.
"I got a job and rented a place. It has not been easy, but things are much better now. A few days ago, I welcomed my baby girl, she looks so much like me. Every time you tried reaching out to people here in my country, it gave me hope that some way would come up. Without that hope, I know things would have been different. Maybe I would have thought about terminating the pregnancy. As for the gentleman from Tunza Maisha, he has been checking up on me until the day when I delivered my baby. Even though he was not able to offer financial help, he kept on checking up on me and encouraging me not to give up because some way would come up."
Pro-life organizations partnering like this can accomplish the incredible.
"Leveraging the tools and skills that we each possess helps us to be a stronger community that can help women all over the world," Perez said.
"StandUpGirl.com is reaching out across the world daily, into every community, to provide life-affirming support and resources to help women in all stages of pregnancy, even for the hurting woman that has chosen to have an abortion and now needs hope and love to help them recover from their loss," she continued.
Tweet This: Three babies were saved in Africa due to the pregnancy help efforts StandUpGirl & local pregnancy help affiliates of Heartbeat International
Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International, described the situation as an example of the Holy Spirit’s power at work in the mission field created by abortion.
“The Spirit has networked our movement reaching from Oregon, U.S.A., to impact lives in Tanzania,” he said. “This happens more than we know that lives are saved through interventions a continent away!"
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
