Today I had the pleasure of joining the 13th International Conference on the Maternal Child Health Handbook, alongside Her Imperial Highness Crown Princess Akishino, WHO Special Advisor to the Director General, Prof. Peter Singer, Prof. Miriam Khamadi Were, UNICEF, UNFPA, healthcare, policymakers and research representatives from Nigeria, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Ghana, to mention a few, with a focus on promoting health equity and making mothers feel like visible primary partners in their and their child’s health journey.

Since 2006, when the WBFA committed its efforts to the development and deployment of home-based health records and handbooks in Nigeria and Africa, we have tenaciously held to the mission that accurate and accessible health information both educates, guides and delivers measurable benefits for every woman, child and family.

The #MCH Handbook is a home-based health record and information tool which supports women throughout their pregnancy, delivery, and postnatal period, extending to the first few years of the child’s life. Introduced in more than 30 countries already, by empowering parents through being an accessible source of information, the handbook bridges communications gaps between them and health professionals, emboldening them to be actively involved in the decision-making and management of their family’s health.

A very intense sharing and learning experience, the conference is a powerful affirmation of the core vision of my Wellbeing Foundation Africa mission from inception. Ensuring the continuity of care and providing health education to families leads to social cohesion and holistic maternal and child care which is highly effective as prevention and protection.

I look forward to continuing to discuss, strategise and champion the immediate prioritisation of attainable and equitable maternal care as the conference continues tomorrow, and I thank today’s moderator Dr. Shafi Bhuiyan MBBS, MPH, MBA, PhD and Prof. Yasuhide Nakamura for their organisation and guidance throughout the day!

#MakingMeVisible #DallaLanaSchoolofPublicHealth #UofT

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