The United Nations Children’s Fund, in collaboration with the Borno State government, has rolled out, in to reduce maternal mortality in the state.

The UNICEF Chief of Maiduguri Field Office, Francis Busiku, announced the launch of the distribution of Mama kits to 13 Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII) Priority local government areas of the state.

According to him, the items became necessary following the prevalence of child birth mortality in the state.

He said the UNICEF  donated3,7000 Mama kits containing essential items for clean and safe childbirth to pregnant women in Borno state.

“Borno state has been identified as one of the states in Nigeria that contributes a significant proportion to maternal and Neonatal Mortality. Everyday, women face life-threatening risks for bringing new life Into the world”

“Putting numbers to it, one woman dies giving birth in every 8 minutes. These are not just numbers,  they are mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, compatriots  and future leaders lost to preventable causes,” he said

He further emphasised that the Maternal and Neonatal Mortality Reduction Innovation and Initiative (MAMII) aligns with UNICEF’s core mandate of protecting children and women.

“UNICEF is committed to ensuring that no woman dies giving birth, and every child is giving the chance to survive, thrive, and develop into their full potential”, he stated

“As part of our efforts, UNICEF has supported them provision 3,700 Mama kits,  that is, easy, pre-packed delivery kits containing essential items for clean and safe childbirth,, he added.d

Francis called on stakeholders, including the government, traditional leaders, civil society, and development partners, to join hands in scaling up the MAMMI intervention.

“This support is one of many, as we are committed to supporting improvement of health infrastructure and equipment, human resources capacity building, provision of medicines, vaccines and health commodities, support to data quality improvement and health digitisation, promotion of accountability, leadership and governance. This is not just in the health sector but also in the Nutrition, WASH, Education and Protection sections.

“We are proud to collaborate with the Borno State Ministry of Health and Primary Health Care Development Board to equip primary health centres, train health workers, mobilise communities and do all it takes to crash maternal mortality numbers.

But UNICEF and health sector partners cannot do this alone. We urge all stakeholders – government, traditional leaders, civil society, and development partners – to join us in scaling up the MAMII intervention.

“Let us remember: every safe birth is a victory, every mother saved is a future secured and every newborn alive is a promise kept”, he concluded.