FROM November 3rd, 2016
Thursday, November 3, 2016
MRS Toyin Saraki, the wife of Senate President, on Thursday appealed to families to space pregnancies for 1,000 days for better life, prosperity and good health of the family.
Toyin Saraki made the appeal at the 2016 Women Pre-Conference meeting of the 4th National Planning Conference scheduled for Nov. 7 and Nov. 9 in Abuja.
The pre-conference had the theme “Women and Family Planning in Nigeria: A critical Requirement for Harnessing Demographic Dividend for Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”.
Saraki, who is also the Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa and UNFPA Family Planning Champion for Nigeria, said that family planning could be an engine-starter for attainment of demographic dividend and economic progress.
She said that family planning was more than contraception and also more than the avoidance or delay of pregnancy or childbearing.
“It is adjudged to be one of the impactful inventions for empowerment,’’ she said.
Saraki said women were key to achieving demographic dividend from interplay of reduced total fertility rate, expanded base of working age population and healthcare investment.
“Nigeria has an approximate population of over 176 million people; approximately 111 women die every day because of preventable causes related to pregnancies and childbirth.
More than 10 per cent of these deaths would have been prevented by improving access to family planning services and commodities to women.
There are over 42 million women of reproductive age in Nigeria, but only 15 per cent of contraceptive use and a total fertility rate of 5.5.
According to her, this can be burdensome for some women and their families compared to Rwanda and Iraq with fertility rates of 3.8 and 4.5 per cent, respectively.
She said as the UNFPA Family Planning Champion for Nigeria, she would use her position to advance family planning in the country.
She said as an advocate for gender equality and societal development, Nigeria could not achieve its potential as a country without strong national family planning.
Sen. Aisha Alhassan, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development said women, as mothers, played important roles in determining demographic dividend outcomes in Nigeria.
The minister, who was represented by Alhaji Mohammed Idris, the Deputy Director of Women Rights and Gender in the ministry, said there was a correlation between poverty and high maternal mortality.
She, however, expressed optimism that the conference would provide information, skills, and guidelines to ensure robust access to family planning services in Nigeria.
“Through the interaction of stakeholders drawn from a wide range of backgrounds at this event, we will address the myths and misconceptions surrounding family planning in Nigeria’’ she said.
Source:
Kwara News – Toyin Saraki urges families to space pregnancies…
FROM May 3rd, 2016
As Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), Mrs Saraki is a Nigerian philanthropist with two decades of advocacy covering reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health; ending gender-based violence; education; and socio-economic empowerment. Mrs Saraki demonstrated leadership on the UN Secretary General’s Every Woman, Every Child initiative, developed global best-practice models for health and accountability, and will be leading efforts to implement the post-2015 agenda across sub-Saharan Africa. Mrs Saraki is the Newborn Champion for Save the Children Nigeria, Grand Patron of White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, and Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Confederation of Midwives.
She is married to Nigeria’s Senate-President, His Excellency Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
FROM May 8th, 2014
Why did you start the Wellbeing Foundation (WBF)?
I started off in the retail sector with a chain of children’s shops and ventures in property. But after I got married, I had a very unfortunate experience during childbirth. A parent is not supposed to bury their child. I didn’t have any closure and I was angry because I felt, strongly, that this is a death that could easily have been prevented.
It was a defining moment because I realised that our public health infrastructure really wasn’t what it should be. I became interested in health from a rights perspective and started WBF. The question was how to make things better for pregnant women so that they and their babies can survive childbirth.
What are the rates of maternal mortality in Nigeria?
When I first approached the federal ministry of health and offered to join forces with them to start gathering data on maternal mortality, what we found was shocking. The figures were saying that this is something that should be declared a national emergency. Today, despite improvements, we have about 40,000 preventable maternity deaths (pdf).
As we looked for solutions we also focused on causes, and the issue of child brides became quite a significant factor in the 19 northern states, and in the southeast. A child is not a woman and is not in the best position to give birth. Giving birth when the body is not fully developed, compounded by lack of medical facilities, puts our girls at risk of death.
How is WBF addressing the issue?
We work through a coalition of women’s groups and societies. We focus on strategies such as awareness building, advocacy and education. I believe that education is central to development. Women who are educated will ensure that their children are educated, receive healthcare and have good nutrition. So we have a programme that funds school buildings and distributes the learning material packs.
We have also developed tools like ‘Mamakits’, which we distribute to midwives to ensure they have what they need to increase the chances of a safe delivery. And an integrated maternal, new-born and child health record – which I consider a hand-held bill of rights. If you know the quality of care you are supposed to be getting when you are pregnant, you can raise an alarm when you are not getting that care.
What sort of impact do religious conflicts and threats from militants like Boko Haram have on your work?
The recent bombings and kidnaps create an atmosphere of fear. We fight for girls to have access to education without that fear, now over 200 school girls have been snatched from their families. A few days ago I hosted a panel with three young girls from the north, who could have easily been the girls that were abducted. As they spoke about their impressive aspirations it highlighted just how much is at stake.
These conflicts should not prevent us from doing what we need to do. They should inspire us to rise. I recently signed my support to the Girl Declaration which is going to be a movement of millions from all around the world working to ensure that girls are safe, are nurtured and can thrive and contribute to economic development and their own growth.
What is WBF’s greatest challenge?
One of the hurdles we are constantly coming up against is achieving scale on effective local initiatives. It can seem impossible without political will, but I never see a challenge as something to lie down and hide behind or to use as an excuse – the lesson maybe that we need to look more to the private sector.
What do you consider to be the organisation’s greatest achievement?
I could count my achievements by the number of health kits or education packs we distribute, but for me what really matters is the lives that are actually saved.
The World Bank and WHO reports show that maternal mortality rates have dropped by about 20% in Nigeria. We are still far off, we still rank within the top 10 highest rates in the world, but the drop is a massive achievement.
What is your vision for WBF?
My vision is to continue to help people and to become a national, home-grown grant making organisation. I also see us becoming a bridging point for those who wish to be on the frontline and don’t know how to get there, because our frontline is huge – it is our woman and our children. The work in progress is how to translate that vision and make it work and sustainable.
FROM June 18th, 2013
Harnessing the Energy & Innovation of Global Creative Community To Solve Challenges of Maternal & Child Health Issues in Africa
CANNES, France, June 18, 2013
McCann Health is gearing up for the launch of Lions Health in 2014 by hosting meetings with dignitaries from the U.N. Secretary General’s Every Woman Every Child effort and top global creative leaders this week at the 2013 Cannes Lions Creative Festival. The goal: to highlight the importance of bringing creative ideas and solutions to improve the health and wellbeing of millions of women and children across the developing world.
Her Excellency Mrs Toyin Saraki of Nigeria, a leading advocate for the U.N.’s Every Woman Every Child effort and Founder-President of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, will speak about the importance of bringing private sector approaches toward creating demand for health products and services. Stephen Sobhani, Director of Private Sector Engagement for Every Woman Every Child, will speak about the future of public-private partnerships in addressing important maternal and child health challenges in Africa.
“McCann Health is playing a critical role in reducing maternal and childhood mortality,” said H.E. Toyin Saraki. “By using commercial approaches toward creating demand for essential medicines and services, they are helping the public and private sector achieve our goals to ensure that no woman or child die needlessly from preventable conditions.”
“With less than 1000 days to reach the Millennium Development Goals, we are grateful for partners such as McCann Health to provide their insights, talent and resources as we jointly tackle these difficult health challenges,” said Stephen Sobhani.
“We are honored to have two important representatives of the U.N. Secretary General here with us today to discuss how to focus the creative community around important health issues such as maternal and child health,” said John Cahill, Global CEO of McCann Health. “We see incredible opportunities to harness the energy, innovation and creative resources of marketing and advertising professionals from the public and private sector to uncover innovative ways to create and sustain healthy outcomes across Africa and Asia.”
About The Wellbeing Foundation:
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) is a leading frontline African Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) and empowerment organization, dedicated to transforming the lives of women and children through advocacy and action. WBFA achieves this goal by forming strategic partnerships and engaging local and international stakeholders while providing practical support interventions and tools such as the WBFAIMNCH Personal Health Record©. Committed to health, education, women’s empowerment and social welfare, WBFA, founded by Mrs. Toyin Saraki in 2003, promotes MNCH through U.N.’s Every Woman Every Child effort, diverse multi-sector initiatives, and advocacy campaigns including WBFA 24-7-365 and the Millennium Development Goals and Countdown to 2015. For more information please visit http://www.wbfafrica.org.
About Every Woman Every Child
Every Woman Every Child was spearheaded by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to catalyze diverse partnerships and increase financial commitments to improve the health of women and children around the world. Working with leaders from governments, multilateral organizations, the private sector and civil society, Every Woman Every Child aims to save the lives of 16 million women and children and improve the lives of millions more. For more information please visit http://www.everywomaneverychild.org/.
About McCann Health: Comprising the world’s most connected health and wellness experts, McCann Health (www.mccannhealth.com) is the most awarded professional and consumer health communications network with the largest international expertise spanning 35 countries and 57 offices. McCann Health’s global network includes McCann HumanCare, McCann Healthcare, McCann Regan Campbell Ward, McCann Torre Lazur, McCann Complete Medical, the leading worldwide medical communications practice, and Double Helix, an international healthcare consultancy focused on working with clients on strategic market research and market access issues. McCann Health is a part of McCann Worldgroup, the largest marketing communications agency network in the world, and is a leading healthcare agency network owned by Interpublic Group
FROM September 21st, 2011
Date: 21 September 2011, 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Private sector luncheon
Venue: Harvard Club of New York
Audience: 40 participants. The meeting will convene private sector leaders from various business sectors and other commitment‑makers to Every Woman, Every Child.
Hosts: Merck, GE Healthcare, Intel, Wellbeing Foundation of Nigeria, Government of Norway (NORAD), Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Children’s Health, United Nations Foundation.
The meeting aligns with the launch of the report “Innovating for Women and Children”, as part of the Global Campaign on Health MDGs. It aims to:
Table leads:
The e-health check tool is available for free at https://covid19.wbfafrica.org/ and users can access real-time updates on how to stay connected, safe, and healthy during the pandemic on Instagram and Twitter @Wellbeing_PPMD, and @WellbeingPPMD on Facebook.
