‘Combating maternal, child mortality require collective action’

Individuals must join hands with government and organisations for the country to effectively reduce the rate of maternal and child mortality, the country representative of  Champions for Change (C4C), an international non-governmental organisation, Theresa Effa, has said.  She stated this during a training workshop organised by her organisation for 12 non-governmental organisations focused on reproductive, […]

Individuals must join hands with government and organisations for the country to effectively reduce the rate of maternal and child mortality, the country representative of  Champions for Change (C4C), an international non-governmental organisation, Theresa Effa, has said.
 She stated this during a training workshop organised by her organisation for 12 non-governmental organisations focused on reproductive, maternal and child health in Abuja.
“Individuals and all key stakeholders like the government, the Civil Society Organisations, community leaders and religious leaders and health care providers should join hands and hold each other accountable; as a responsibility that no woman should die while giving birth,  and no child should die. It is something all of us should take as a mandate and start achieving,” she said.
Effa said while the country has shown progress in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) five of which are geared towards reducing maternal mortality and infant health, it still has one of the highest mortality rates in the world, adding It actually has to start with individuals holding themselves accountable to their health and improving the health of people in their households, community and society at large.”
She said Champions for Change is focused on building civil society leaders and strengthening their organisations to be able to carry out evidence based, effective and result oriented advocacy in influencing policy decisions and actions that improve maternal, new born and child health in Nigeria.
A participant, Abdulrazak Alkali, who is also the executive director of Youth Society for the Prevention of Infectious Diseases and Social Vices (YOPSIS) based in Kano, said the workshop is timely and will play a key role in helping them to advocate for the prevention of maternal and child deaths in northern Nigeria.
Dr Wilson Imongan, a participant  who works with the Women’s Health and Action Research Centre (WHARC) in Benin said the training series has helped the NGOs gain knowledge, and built their capacity to enable them push for change or advocate properly on issues of reproductive, maternal newborn, child and adolescent health.
Another participant, Hajiya Habeebah Mohammed, the team leader of Centre for Girls’ Education at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said she learnt a lot that will help her work in her organisation like project and financial management.
She urged government to provide hospitals in all rural communities so that women can access the services, adding that women should also be informed about their rights to demand for these services.