Support SiMBA This November with a Vote in Our Charity Poll

Posted on 21 Oct 2020 by Amy Jackson
SiMBA is a charity whose main goal is simple: to honour babies who have died during pregnancy or close to the time of birth. It wasn’t long ago that babies were taken away after they died, meaning parents were unable to spend that precious time together before they said goodbye. SiMBA donates Memory Boxes to help families to gather everlasting memories and they refurbish Family Rooms within hospitals, giving families a peaceful homely place to spend time with their baby. Additionally, in conjunction with CHAS they offer free advanced bereavement and palliative care study days for health care professionals and students.  SiMBA also install Memorial Trees of Tranquillity and donate the leaves to add to them. By adding a leaf onto one of the Trees of Tranquillity, it shows parents they are not alone in their loss. The charity also offers virtual SiMBA Safe Space Support Groups via zoom and family friendly awareness events throughout the year.

SiMBA Logo


How Do SiMBA Support Families Affected by the Loss of a Baby?


Memory Boxes


SiMBA donates their Memory Boxes to maternity units, pregnancy support groups, neonatal units, hospices, and upon request to individuals. The charity offers three different sized boxes designed for specific stages of gestational loss, and each box is lovingly prepared with care by volunteers. The Memory Boxes are designed to guide families through the tragic experience by helping them to gather as many precious memories with their baby as possible, such as taking photos and making hand and feet imprints. The act of gifting one of these boxes to a family is incredibly important, as not only does it encourage them to make memories that can never be taken away, but it also treats their baby as an individual, helping to break the fear and taboo surrounding baby loss.

 

Support Groups


While face-to-face support groups are currently suspended as a result of the covid-19 pandemic, SiMBA knows that families still need support. We are all spending so much time at home that it’s really important to talk with others who understand how you are feeling. SiMBA has adapted their services and now offer SiMBA Safe Space virtual support group sessions via Zoom as well as their Facebook community groups which are available 24 hours a day, and even include dedicated groups for grandparents, men only, and those who would like to share photos of their baby.

 

Trees of Tranquillity


Providing families a private and public way to honour their babies, SiMBA’s Trees of Tranquillity are located throughout Scotland and are unique, hand-crafted copper sculptures, with each leaf representing a baby that has died. Each leaf is engraved with a personal message, offering parents the chance to quietly honour their baby’s memory. Additionally, the Trees are also there for parents who have lost babies years previously and were given little or no recognition of their existence, allowing for a beautiful symbol of remembrance.

 

How You Can Get Involved


To comply with guidelines SiMBA has temporarily suspended their training days, family room refurbishments and family friendly awareness events. However during the pandemic demand for Memory Boxes and online support groups has continued to increase as the charity reaches more hospitals and more bereaved families.

SiMBA relies on the generosity of their supporters in order to be there for families affected by the loss of a baby. This November, they are one of our three charities competing for votes in our monthly poll. If you would like to support them this month, please cast your vote for SiMBA today.

Find out more about the charity, as well as how you can make a donation, by visiting their website: https://www.simbacharity.org.uk/.

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