FOMWAN pushes maternal death, nutrition across religious divide

The Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) has expressed its dismay at the high death rate of childbearing mothers after analysis emerged that up to 145 women die daily trying to give birth. The Project Director of Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) under FOMWAN, Adamu Musa Kachalla, disclosed this […]

The Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN) has expressed its dismay at the high death rate of childbearing mothers after analysis emerged that up to 145 women die daily trying to give birth.
The Project Director of Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health (PACFaH) under FOMWAN, Adamu Musa Kachalla, disclosed this at a sensitisation meeting on family planning, immunisation and nutrition with representatives of faith-based organisations and women groups in Abuja.
She said: “We expect all participants to tell their followers, to advocate and influence decision makers so that they will allocate more funding for family planning commodities, maternal and infant care.
“We want the government to fund more commodities for family planning and in nutrition, we want to adopt  the National Strategic Action on Nutrition and implement it so that at the end of the day, nobody will have children who are stunted, out of school and suffering.
“We have a very high rate of maternal mortality and with child spacing, we can take care of that. We want to reduce that, both at the national and state level.”
She said that although there were many misconceptions surrounding family planning, most especially in northern Nigeria, child spacing has always been practiced in the region.
“It’s just the name ‘family planning’ that people have attached lots of meanings and lies to as if it is something to reduce fertility in women. My mother gave birth to me and after three years, she gave birth to my sister and same for all of my siblings. This is child spacing and the woman becomes healthier which reduces the high rate of maternal mortality.”
Yusuf Muhammad of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), said nutrition, immunisation, and family planning for better development were pertinent issues to all regardless of religion, adding: “When you talk about the issue of nutrition, family planning and immunisation, all these things will assist in making the life of human beings comfortable.
“If you are not comfortable, even serving God will be impossible for you to do.”
Rev. Daniel Tumba of the Church of the Brethren in Kano said: “As a pastor, it is my responsibility to open the eyes of people to know that these infant and maternal problems can be solved.”