Denise Kekimuri, Perinatal Bereavement Advocate
Return to Zero: Hope Provider Spotlight
Tell us a little about the work that you do
Vessel Is Me is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving care for families who have experienced pregnancy loss and neonatal deaths. We offer peer counseling, professional grief counseling and perinatal bereavement training.
In December 2018, Vessel is Me was founded as a place for parents who have experienced the death of a baby to meet up and discuss their shared grief, the yearning for belonging underpins everything we do. Vessel is Me is the only provider of perinatal bereavement support services in Uganda, providing direct emotional support to over 300 bereaved families each year. Our model of peer-to-peer support places us in a strong and unique position to provide hope and understanding to bereaved parents and their families in Uganda.
Vessel Is Me support services include parent led support call Centre, face- to- face support groups are also delivered every second Saturday of the month for women and once every three months for men. Vessel is Me distributes key information via digital and print brochures, available through health services our website. `We train volunteers and trained staff deliver thousands of hours of training for health professionals both online and face-to-face to help develop their bereavement care skills.
Why are you passionate about serving the pregnancy and infant loss community?
I am passionate about serving the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Community because I am part of the community. As a bereaved mum of two angel babies, I looked for support or a helpline in Uganda and couldn't find any...so, I became the help that I needed as I was going my own healing journey. I published a book about my journey joining this community and as I was marketing the book, I kept receiving phone calls from other mothers and fathers who had gone through this ordeal and had been suffering silently. That was the birth of our support group and I have not looked back since then. Our goal is to Heal. Grow. Help Others(Pay it forward)
How has RTZ impacted your work?
The brochures have been our go to when sharing about pregnancy and infant loss and I am grateful for the resource that is RTZ in regards to offering information.
Learn more about Denise’s work
Find her on instagram and Twitter @Vesselisme or learn more at her website below
Return to Zero: Hope is a community of bereaved parents, families, and providers offering inclusive resources and holistic support for anyone whose life has been touched by loss, including infertility, secondary infertility, miscarriage, ending a wanted pregnancy, stillbirth, infant or toddler death, loss through surrogacy or failed adoption.
Provider interactions during pregnancy and infant loss have a lifelong impact on a family’s healing and wellbeing. RTZ Hope supports organizations and individuals who work with parents who have experienced perinatal loss, including hospitals, clinics, health providers, midwives, doulas, lactation consultants, mental health clinicians, peer advocates, and support organizations. We partner with health professionals to ensure they have the training, emotional support, and resources they need to confidently care for families at one of the most tragic moments of their journey towards parenthood.
This year alone, we've sent over $3000 in grief and loss material samples to health providers so they are more resourced and empowered to support bereaved families. Will you donate and help us continue to get these resources into the hands of those that need them?
