All through the ages, mothers and motherhood have been celebrated in various forms by different cultures around the world to honour the women who take on – rather, who are bestowed with – what is truly a sacrificial privilege to incubate, birth and nurture a daily stream of new lives to replenish the human race. And mothers do much more. They are the pillars of our childhood, families, societies and nations.
In the present age of globalization, Mother’s Day is fast evolving as a worldwide celebration and one of the most popular commemorative days that celebrate humanity’s special social bonds; perhaps, second only to Valentine’s Day. In Nigeria, the eclectic nature of our modern culture with its subtly competing British and American influences, in particular, has seen us celebrating Mother’s Day at least twice in a year – in March and in May, following the British and the Americans respectively. And this is just as well – mothers truly deserve much more.
Mother’s Day presents us all – well, those who care – with an opportunity to tell, reassure or demonstrate to our mothers (biological mothers or the mother figures in our lives) how much we love them and how much they mean to us. As is usual with this kind of celebrations, we are flooded with a thousand and one commercial opportunities to show love to our mothers by small and large business organizations as they jostle for share of voice and share of sales on various channels, mostly social media.
As Nigerians celebrated Mother’s Day for the second time this year on May 11, I came across a short mother’s day video clip that I could not help watching again and again, each time with a smile plastered on my face and my heart yearning to give my mother a warm bear hug. The video featured five kids, probably between four and six years old, each speaking from the heart about why they love “Mummy”.
That video could have ended with the “Happy Mother’s Day” message that trailed the kids’ voices and stillremained memorable. But it went further to tug at our social conscience with a voiceless challenge to “Keep Mums Alive”. It was from Coca-Cola; and it was an advocacy for safe births – a basic expectation that has become a mirage for about 40,000 women who die during childbirth every year in this country.
Pregnancy, childbirth and motherhood should be some of life’s most joyful experiences. However, the inadequacies of many countries’ healthcare systems to successfully deliver on the needs of expectant mothers have cut short many of such expectations. In recent years, governments, non-governmental organizations, and regional institutions have worked intensely to reduce the prevalence of maternal complications and mortality. According to UNICEF data, there was a 44 percent reduction in maternal deaths globally between 1990 and 2015 which, though impressive, fell short of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These concerted global efforts will continue through to 2030 under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In West Africa, a region with some of the highest national maternal and newborn mortality ratios, there has been appreciable even if very slow progress on this issue. Studies in Benin, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, and Nigeria, by the International Conference on Maternal Health, show similar causes of maternal mortality, that is, lack of access to adequate healthcare services, unskilled medical personnel and unsafe medical practices. Research by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that a lack of access to basic healthcare equipment, such as obstetrical resuscitation units, the inability to identify birth complications early and take preventative measures drastically increase maternal mortality.
But there is positive action. From national action plans to regional initiatives such as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Gender Development Centre (EGDC), which in 2010 developed a programme to disburse financial and medical aid to rural areas with little access to healthcare facilities. Many international NGOs are also helping in various ways – providing funding for equipment, while training nurses and traditional birth attendants to use modern childbirth practices and techniques. Organizations such as PathFinders International, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT), Georgia Global Health Alliance (GGHA), UNICEF, the West African Health Organization (WAHO), and many more intensify the battle through funding, training, and innovation.
A more recent hopeful trend is that some notable companies are supporting the fight against maternal and newborn mortalities in the region. Companies such as MTN, Procter and Gamble, and Dangote are implementing programmes in this space. Coca-Cola is now lending its weight with what is reported to be a regional programme, the Safe Birth Initiative, which will be implemented in partnership with national SDG offices and health ministries. It is hoped that these companies, working in partnership with governments, regional bodies and NGOs, would help raise awareness of the scourge of maternal and newborn deaths; improve access to maternal and neonatal healthcare through building new facilities and strengthening existing ones; provide modern birthing equipment, tools and supplies, as well as strengthen the capacity of maternal and neonatal healthcare workers to effectively operate and maintain these facilities.
The bottom line is that no woman should lose her life in the process of birthing a new life. Mothers deserve to live and be celebrated. So, let’s all join hands to do whatever is necessary to bring our mothers and babies home alive from the maternities. That’s the least we can do to make Mother’s Day a reality for every pregnant woman.
NNANNA NWAFOR
Nwafor, a public affairs commentator, contributed this piece from Abuja.
