Airtel Malawi donates K15m towards JB Safemotherhood initiative
The President’s Safe Motherhood and Maternal Health Initiative has received a timely boost of a K15 million cash donation from Airtel Malawi Limited.
The money donate don Wednesday is to be used for training of the country’s midwives for 18 months starting October 1st, 2012.
Airtel Malawi Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Morris Newa, presented the donation to the Deputy Minister of Health Halima Daud in Lilongwe.
“I would like to thank Airtel Malawi most profoundly for this timely donation because it is only through training of midwives and TBA’s [traditional birth attendants] that we can reduce the maternal mortality rate in Malawi,” Daud said when she received the donation on behalf of President Joyce Banda.
The deputy minister, while observing that maternal mortality rate in Malawi was among the highest in the world, also appealed to more private sector firms to support the initiative which she described as being very close to President Banda’s heart.
Coordinator of the initiative, Dorothy Ngoma, who was also present during the function, joined the deputy minister in showing gratitude to Airtel for the donation.
She likewise appealed to more companies, individuals and organisations to continue supporting the initiative which she said had started a number of safe motherhood and maternal related projects across the country such as construction of women’s shelters.
A number of women’s shelters are currently under construction with some of them like the Mulanje shelter expected to be completed by mid October.
These shelters which are constructed with the full involvement of traditional leaders are meant to accommodate pregnant women near the hospitals just before their expected date of delivery.
President Banda launched the initiative soon after taking over government in April 2012 in line with her appeal that no woman should lose life while giving birth.
The initiative’s main objective is to champion the maternal health and safe motherhood movement in the country so that there is health life for the child as well as the mother.
So far members of the initiatives’ committee which comprises 60 percent women, have been traversing the country to sensitise Malawians on the importance of the initiative and encourage women to give birth at hospitals.
