FreshNEWS unveils initiative for maternal mortality, neonatal deaths

An online media group, FreshNEWS has kicked-off an initiative to raise awareness for the reduction of maternal and neonatal deaths as well as promote access to proper medical care for pregnant women and children in Nigeria.
Speaking at the launch of the initiative tagged: No Woman Should Die Giving Birth in Abuja recently, the Managing Director of FreshNEWS, Desmond Utomwen said: “the initiative would be directed at promoting well-being for all and at all ages with the aim of improving reproductive, maternal and child health among others; and ensuring access to safe, affordable and effective medicines and vaccines for all.
According to him, “Today, we commit to take up campaigns that will attempt to foster awareness on issues that limit the poor and vulnerable in our midst. These range from Social, Economic and Environmental factors, which constitute the three dimensions of development.”
“Our efforts will therefore attempt to increase advocacy and drive action from government and private organisations with the aim of raising the proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel, while under-5 and neonatal mortality rates are also cut down.
Utomwen, who acknowledged the laudable efforts of SDGs Office in tackling this menance stated further: “It will amaze you to know that today, thousands of women and children still fall to this fatality due largely to ignorance. Our checks have revealed that many women for some religious, socio and cultural reasons are still victims and the time to start re-orientating them is now”.
To drive this to fruition, FreshNEWS also unveiled Noel Empraw, an Abuja based artiste and social media influencer, Queen Ugo Onyeanu who is the current Miss Heritage Nigeria Bold & Beautiful and Mr. Moses Bliss, also an artiste as Ambassadors to help drive the campaign through social and conventional media as well as physical outreach programmes.
In his remarks, Noel Empraw advised that there was need for pregnant women to take ante-natal programmes seriously while officials in the healthcare system should also shun the display of lackadaisical attitude to their patients as this has led to many avoidable deaths.
In the same vein, Queen Ugo Onyeanu stressed the need for women to shun unorthodox healthcare during pregnancy and seek proper medication to avoid complications. She also advocated that women should not be afraid of undergoing caesarean section as an alternative for natural birth, when necessary.
Violence against children: PCDI wants cases reported
The National Coordinator, Paulash Community Development Initiative (PCDI), Mrs Folashade Okomayin, has called out to people who don’t report cases of violence against children as the group condemns any form of violence against any child irrespective of their ethnicity and religion.
The Coordinator, in a chat with Blueprint in Abuja, said most times when the initiative embark on grass roots sensitisation advocacy exercise in communities, some communities are not hospitable.
According to her, children are the leaders of tomorrow and should be treated with love and care and together we all should play our part and save the children (#totherescue)
She lamented that the initiative have picked some children from the streets and markets involved in child labour and registered them in schools adding that they are partnering with National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons ( NAPTIP) on the rescue mission
”We also collaborate with other Child Rights Advocates to carry out these programs”.
Folashade said the major challenge the initiative is been faced is the ability to get sponsorship for the children in schools calling on the collaboration of the Federal Government and stakeholders to end the violence against children.

Leave a Reply