In marking the 2020 International Women’s Day celebrations, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WFA) called for collaboration between non-governmental organisations and policy makers to promote midwives as the heart of maternal health solutions.
Speaking at the event to mark the day, the Vice President of WFA, Dr. Alero Roberts, said ‘[P]utting women and children at the core of everything [we] do, drives positive change in the realms of maternal [health].’ Dr. Roberts noted that WFA is committed to educating women on their health while training midwives and community health workers in emergency obstetrics and newborn care. She noted, ‘We know that a midwife trained to global standards has the essential skills to prevent 83 percent of all maternal deaths, stillbirths and newborn deaths and a 25 percent increase in midwives could reduce maternal mortality by 50 percent. For that reason much of our work centres on increasing the skills training for midwives and advocating for the increased coverage of midwives across the world. It is not acceptable that in societies like Nigeria, only the wealthy, metropolitan women are educated enough to understand the necessity of respectful maternity care. The experience of bringing life into the world need not be traumatic. It need not be dangerous. It should be dignified and accessible’.
WFA is a global partner to the UN Secretary General’s ‘Every Women, Every Child’ initiative, which focuses on SDG 3 (wellbeing for all) and SDG 5 (gender equality). WFA was founded in 2004 by Her Excellency, Mrs. Toyin Ojora Saraki, with the aim of improving health outcomes for women, infants and children.
Source: Leadership
Photo source: Wellbeing Foundation
