As we join the rest of the world in celebrating the 100th International Women’s Day in March this year….

The life experiences shared during the launch of the Kenyan Campaign for the Accelerated Reduction of Maternal Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) chapter late last year ring deep – a fresh wound that will probably never heal. Kenya bleeds from high maternal deaths. A recent report by APHRC recorded a maternal mortality ratio of 706 per 100,000 live births in Nairobi’s urban poor settlements. This truly echoes the sentiment, “the poorest women are more likely to die in pregnancy and childbirth” – WRA-K, 2010.

For Kenya to join the funfare, we must all take part in advocating for the health of our mothers, girls and children. There is no women’s day if our health system is in a shambles where a woman in labour gets referred to three to four health facilities due to lack of quality healthcare services and skill. There is no cause for celebration when we are losing approximately 20 women daily to pregnancy and childbirth complications. Indeed, what is there to celebrate when our government cannot commit a meager 15 percent of the national budget to addressing health issues?

Stand up for Women’s Health

The White Ribbon Alliance makes the following key recommendations for national and local actions:

1. repositioning of family planning to close the gap of unmet need for family planning. In Kenya, the national average currently stands at 25.4 percent (KNBS, 2010). Luckily, through the National Coordinating Agency for Population and Development (NCAPD) and with the support of development partners, this initiative is well underway
2. with the support of community leaders, discourage early marriages by encouraging schooling for the girl child
3. advocate for proper nutrition for the first 1000 days of life (for newborns). In Kenya, we are already advocating for exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and thereafter, a balanced diet
4. empowering women ensures a healthy nation. Less than 30 percent of women in North Eastern part of Kenya take part in making decisions about their own healthcare, childbearing or even the number of children they should sire. The result is that less than five percent of married women in the region use contraceptives; less than 20 percent deliver under skilled care leading to high maternal and child deaths.

Stand up for Women’s Reproductive Health and Rights

http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/images/upload/Kenya_Birth_Atlas.pdf