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In her relentless effort to ensure that no woman dies while giving birth, the First Lady Sia Koroma on Wednesday officially opened a three days forum for traditional and religious leaders and young people to advocate for better reproductive health with emphasis on the repositioning of family planning.
She also launched the Campaign on Prevention of Teenage pregnancy and early marriage in Sierra Leone.
The ceremony at the Bo City hall attracted religious, traditional leaders and young people from the Southern region.
In her address, Mrs Koroma said two years ago she had the opportunity to engage Traditional and Religious Leaders (TRLs) from all over the country at the first Consultative Forum in Freetown to discuss how they could contribute to the reduction of Maternal and Infant mortality.
This, she said was her first effort in implementing the Women’s Initiative for Safer Health (WISH) Framework.
Mrs. Koroma noted that the forum was the first step of the much cherished relationship and partnership that started with her office and UNFPA. Since then the office has received technical, logistical and financial support.
The First Lady said that TRLs can effectively influence their communities for positive change. It is imperative, therefore, that TRLs should take the lead at their communities in the fight to reduce maternal deaths.
She called on them to encourage their women and men to participate in family planning. “We have been reliably informed by the experts that family planning saves lives by at list 30% when used properly”
Mrs. Koroma stated that they realized that since the Cairo Conference in 1994, many countries did not priorities family planning in their reproductive health programmes.
In Sierra Leone, she maintained family planning has been low keyed in the Reproductive Health programme.
She disclosed that her office, has secured funds from RAND Cooperation and Architect for Humanity to construct and equip a Women Resource Center in Bandakemoh Chiefdom Bonthe District.
The center will provide among others Livelihood skills to women, information on reproductive and sexual health, family planning services, promote good nutrition and diet, encourage the safe sex practices and promote exclusive breast feeding for the first six months after birth and provide safe motherhood services and referral services for pregnant women within the communities.
Launching the campaign on the reduction of teenage pregnancy and Early Marriage in Sierra Leone, the wife of the Vice President Mrs.Kadia Sam Sumana said the MDG’S have been described as the world’s “biggest promise” but the world’s biggest promise has failed women and girls particularly in Sierra Leone where three in every ten girls get pregnant before 18 years and even worse is that seven in ten teenage pregnant girls are married before age 18.
She said “ it is a great concern for us as a nation. It is because of these appalling figures that The First Lady and I have decided to engage the adolescents and teenagers and the traditional and religious leaders towards the reduction of teenage pregnancy and early marriages in the country.
Baby packs were distributed to new born babies”. She added.
By Abibatu Kamara