SANDS Awareness Month is a time set aside to raise awareness and support families who have lost a baby due to stillbirth or neonatal death. The campaign’s goal is to break the silence surrounding these heart-breaking losses, increase understanding, and improve bereavement care and support services. With June being SANDS Awareness Month, this duration allows individuals and organizations to engage in activities, share resources, and support those who have been affected by stillbirth and neonatal death.
Sands has been offering support to anybody affected by pregnancy and baby loss for more than 40 years, through its Freephone helpline, mobile app, online community, and resources, and locally through a UK-wide network of about 100 regional support groups. Sands works with health care professionals, trusts, and health boards to provide a variety of training programmes and bereavement care resources to ensure that every bereaved parent and family in the UK receives the best possible care.
Ways to get involved in SANDS Awareness Month
Participating in SANDS Awareness Month allows you to show your support, and here are some ways you can get involved:
- By Spreading Awareness
Sharing information about SANDS Awareness Month on social media or in person is a good way to raise awareness. You can use hashtags like #SANDSAwarenessMonth and #MySandsConnection, when posting content on social media platforms to reach a larger audience and stimulate more discussions.
- Sharing Personal Stories
If you or someone you know has lost a baby, you can consider sharing your story if you feel comfortable doing so. Sharing personal experiences can help to break the silence surrounding stillbirth and neonatal death, increase awareness, and provide support to others who may be going through a similar situation.
- Attending or Organizing Local Events
You can promote awareness and support the cause by attending local events organised by SANDS or other organisations. These events could include memorial walks, candle lighting ceremonies, or instructional seminars. However, if there are no local events in your region, you could consider organising one in order to bring people together.
- Support SANDS
You may also want to donate to SANDS or join in fundraising activities to help them continue their important work. By making a financial contribution, you are helping to ensure that critical support services, research, and education remain available to bereaved families.
More Information on the Charity
Sands advocates for and supports research to better understand the causes of baby deaths, improve pregnancy safety, and save babies’ lives. The charity also raises awareness about baby loss and works with governments, major influencers, and other stakeholders to make reducing infant mortality a national and local priority. As their work is completely independent on their supporters, you too can play a role in helping them carry out the vital work to improve maternity safety and save babies’ lives. If you follow the following link, you will be able to find all the different ways you can get involved and organise you own event to raise funds and support Sands: https://www.sands.org.uk/get-involved.
If you also wish to donate to the charity you can follow this link: https://www.sands.org.uk/get-involved/donate-sands. And for more information please visit: https://www.sands.org.uk/.