MamaYe Ghana initiates Ambassadors' Parliament
The act of giving birth can appear very different in different parts of the world. In some countries, women give birth safely between the walls of a hospital surrounded by medical officials and the requisite equipment.
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In others, relatives and neighbours will circle the woman in labour singing in the dark of a hut, far from medical help. But the woman at the centre of the picture – wherever she lives – is undertaking the same phenomenal journey to bring life to the world.
All around Africa, people from all walks of life, including health-workers, decision-makers, community leaders and campaigners, are working for the health of women, babies and children in their communities to promote maternal health. Their efforts have saved lives and helped to ensure healthy and happy future generations for Africa.
Increased and sustained public visibility
As part of activities to increase and sustain public visibility for maternal and newborn health in Ghana, MamaYe Ghana, an organisation that promotes maternal health, is strengthening the capacity of communities to recognise shortfalls in healthcare provision for pregnant women and newborns in order to improve the quality of health care.
As part of the programme, the MamaYe Ghana Campaign is engaging youth in senior high schools across the country on a platform known as the MamaYe Ambassadors' Parliament (MAP).
The ambassadors will engage in public discourse on the need to improve maternal and newborn health in Ghana. It is meant to inform, alter negative attitudes and raise expectations of maternal and newborn survival among opinion formers and the wider public in Ghana.
Some of the schools are St. Augustine’s College, Adisadel College, Mfantsipim Senior High School, Aggrey Memorial (AME) Zion Senior High School, Ghana National College, Mfantsiman Girls SHS, Holy Child SHS and Wesley Girls SHS.
MamaYe Ghana fact sheet on Maternal and Newborn Health, accessed online, indicates that the organisation is meeting with various stakeholders in the month of March to discuss collaborative efforts towards increasing maternal and newborn survival in Ghana. The groups include women in leadership positions, the private sector, the National Health Insurance Authority and allied agencies, as well as the media.
Lancet research
The report quoted a Lancet research, using evidence from 144 countries, that had quantified the risk of maternal death in adolescents by estimating maternal mortality ratios for women aged 15–19 years by country, region and worldwide.
Adolescents are often thought to be at greater risk of death during pregnancy or childbirth than women in other age groups. But mortality risks to adolescent mothers have not been accurately quantified, and most studies tend to calculate single mortality figures for women and girls across all age groups.
It concludes that the excess mortality risk to adolescent mothers may be less than previously expected, and highlights the very high mortality ratios for women aged 35 and above. It, however, insists that these findings should not divert focus away from efforts to address adolescent pregnancy.