Lordina urges mothers to help end child marriages
The First Lady, Mrs Lordina Mahama, has urged Ghanaian mothers to work towards ending child marriages as the world celebrates women and mothers.
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Known for her social activities as the President of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV & AIDS (OAFLA) and her Lordina Foundation, Mrs Mahama also urged mothers to ensure that infants and children received the requisite free vaccination by participating in the annual vaccination week.
In a statement to mark Mother’s Day yesterday, she said, “On this occasion of Mother’s Day 2016, I wish to encourage mothers, especially in Ghana and Africa, to participate in the annual vaccination week by ensuring that infants and children receive the requisite free vaccination. We need to collectively prioritise immunisation as a key intervention to reduce child mortality.”
Empowered women
She also reiterated her commitment to elevating Africa and making it a continent with empowered girls and women.
“As President of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV & AIDS (OAFLA), and together with my colleague First Ladies, we have joined hands to strive to achieve our common vision of making Africa a continent free from HIV and AIDS, Maternal and child mortality, and a place where women and girls are empowered to enjoy equal rights and opportunities,” the statement read.
Mrs Mahama asked mothers to support the ‘End Child Marriage’ Campaign launched earlier by President John Mahama during the recent Seventh Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Accra and prioritise the education of young children rather than usher them into child marriages.
“I urge all mothers to support the ‘End Child Marriage’ Campaign and join forces with governments to end child marriages. Keep your children in school and allow them to climb the educational ladder rather than marrying them off,” the statement said.
Paying glowing tribute to mothers as God’s gift to mankind, she said “today, much of Ghana’s progress is, in no small way, due to the contribution of mothers to the family, to the community and to the nation”.
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She entreated working mothers not to abandon the long-cherished traditional role of providing services and care for the family at all times despite the challenges that confronted them.
Mother’s Day
The celebration of mothers and motherhood can be traced back to the ancient Greeks and Romans who held festivals in honour of the mother goddesses, Rhea and Cybele, but the clearest modern precedent for Mother’s Day is the early Christian festival known as “Mothering Sunday.”
Mother's Day is a celebration of mothers and motherhood, traditionally celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent as a Christian holiday throughout the UK and Europe. However, Mother's Day began in the United States in the early 20th century and is not actually related to the Christian Mothering Sunday celebration.