As Founder and CEO of the Aminata Maternal Foundation (AMF), Aminata Conteh-Biger is helping to save the lives of hundreds of mothers and babies in her home country, Sierra Leone. She’s determined to create groundbreaking change, describing this Foundation as her life’s work, and being named Women’s Agenda’s 2021 Agenda Setter of the Year.
*** Aminata Conteh-Biger is joining our leadership panel at the Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. Tickets are available here.
Growing up in Freetown, Sierra Leone, Conteh-Biger lived a good childhood with her siblings and father until being kidnapped as a teenager and held captive for months by rebel forces in the country’s bloody civil war. She was eventually granted refugee status in 2000 and became one of the first Sierra Leonean refugee women to settle in Australia.
Since then, Conteh-Biger has climbed high in Australia as a Special Representative for Australia United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and a board member of The Social Outfit who regularly speaks at corporate events, organisations, universities, schools and community avenues to inspire the next generation to lead with purpose and implement positive change. She’s also the author of “Rising Heart: One Woman’s Astonishing Journey from Unimaginable Trauma to Becoming a Power for Good,” a biography of her courageous journey.
What she considers her biggest achievement, the Aminata Maternal Foundation, is a remarkable culmination of Conteh-Biger’s experiences and drive to be a force for good.
Sierra Leone is one of the most dangerous places on earth to give birth and AMF was founded in 2014 to end the country’s infant and maternal mortality by providing the best quality maternal health services. The not-for-profit organisation stresses that motherhood should mark a beginning rather than an end and their work is vital to ensuring the wellbeing of Sierra Leonean mothers and babies.
In its 6th year, the Foundation is placing a focus on its impact in rural areas where 70% of roads are damaged and pregnant mothers and girls struggle to travel to the cities for medical assistance. AMF’s investments and support in these communities is critical.
Here, Conteh-Biger shares an update on her foundation’s work over the past year and her speech to the nation on AMF’s incredible importance since the 2021 Women’s Agenda Leadership Awards. She also shares why sustainable giving is vital to saving women’s lives and offers valuable advice for other women driven to enact big change.
Can you give us any updates on the work the Aminata Maternal Foundation has done to strengthen maternal healthcare in Sierra Leone?
Education is key. The need for midwives is ever critical, Sierra Leone lost so many midwives during Ebola. The country needs around 2500 midwives and they have around half that amount. The funds raised by Aminata Maternal Foundation are going towards education in this area, to the best standard possible.
We also support sexual health education for young girls. We have helped around 300 girls, between the ages of 9-19, every year. We assist these girls to get jobs in sustainable trades, or back to school, so they are independent.
How would you describe your current role and job?
In the past 12 months, the board of Aminata Maternal Foundation has gained new members. While the role has always been fulfilling, I am thrilled to be able to continue the growth and evolution of all aspects of the foundation.
However, a current challenge I face is a lack of resources within the team. We are primarily looking to hire a philanthropic partnership manager, as this would mean that I can spend more of my time on other areas of the business.
What’s your career and life been like over the past year?
A big highlight of the past 12 months was speaking at the National Press Club in Canberra this May. To have the opportunity to address the nation and relay the reasons and reality of what Aminata Maternal Foundation does for Sierra Leonean mothers and babies was a true privilege.
I was able to plead to the nation and reiterate that without sustainable giving, the foundation can’t do the work, and mothers and babies will continue to die from preventable causes.
Can you tell us about a project you’ve been working on over the past year that you’re really excited about?
My passion has always been to have the Aminata Maternal Foundation active in the rural areas, and making new local partnerships has done that. Looking ahead, I’m also working towards acquiring sponsorship for our next major fundraiser, called Bluff and Swagger, which will be held in early 2023.
What do you believe urgently needs to change for women in your current area of work or focus?
What I honestly think needs to change is that we, as humans, have to help all and every type of woman – regardless of location, race or religion. The women of Sierra Leone need the same resources and opportunities as other women do in order to achieve what every woman wants to achieve in life.
What advice do you have for women who are looking to push the status quo on trying to achieve better outcomes for others?
Be realistic, and have a true understanding of what your situation is. I always say part of my job is to be a ‘hustler’. Everyone who works in the philanthropic space faces challenges, but if you know how to hustle – specific to your venture – then you can overcome things that stand in your way.
What, generally, is your best career tip for making big things happen?
I am under no illusion as to what I, personally, can achieve alone. But, I know what I have and what I don’t have – and I know that what I don’t have, someone else has, so I work out how to get it. Never be afraid to ask!