“Everyone IS ME” Campaign Launched to Avert Maternal Deaths

Ms Robina Biteyi, Coordinator WRA Uganda and Mr. Peter Nkhonjera, Country Director Save the Children Uganda addressing the Press at Imperial Royale Hotel (photo by Daily Monitor)

By Nsinda Elman

WRA Uganda

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood Uganda, Save the Children, and UNFPA in partnership with Ministry of Health have launched Maternal, Newborn and Child Survival campaign code named “Everyone is me,” to sensitize and mobilize the general public to do anything in their reach to reduce the death of mothers and children in the country.

The campaign aims at making sure that everyone plays their role in saving the lives of pregnant women and neonates in order to help achieve the Millennium Development Goal 5 which is to Reduce Maternal mortality by three-quarters and child mortality by two-thirds by 2015.

According to the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey 2006, 6,000 women die every year due to complications related to pregnancy and child birth, 44,500 new borns die before 1 month.

The causes of maternal death in the Country include: Not giving birth under a trained personnel, not giving birth at health facility, Shortage of equipments at health facility and lack of pre-natal and antenatal care.

The campaign which will last for Three months will start from four districts of western Uganda including Kibaale, Kyenjojo, Kabalole, Kamwenge as pilot districts and then spread to the entire country.

Addressing the press at Imperial Royale in Kampala, the Country Director Save the Children Peter Nkhonjera  said that the struggle to end maternal mortality and child death shall be achieved if corporations, communities, individuals working  in private sector and the general public through their active participation.

The National Coordinator White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood Uganda Robina Biteyi urged the general public to embrace the campaign by encouraging pregnant women to go for antenatal check ups, ensure that women give birth at health facility and feed them on good nutrition.

She called on leaders to play their role especially by advocating for additional recruitment motivation and retention of midwives to bridge the current gap of 2000 midwives lacking in the country.

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