During a five-day workshop that ended last Friday September 23 at the Mbour city of Senegal, the regional office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Dakar, Senegal and some 40 radio and print media journalists from West, Centre, East and Australe Africa reinforced collaboration and took the engagements to work for the health of women and children particularly pregnant women and new born babies. During the workshop, communication experts from renowned media institutions in Senegal schooled journalists on how to instigate positive decisions and behaviour through their reports which touch a great portion of the population.
It is estimated that Africa accounts for about 47 per cent of global maternal mortality with Sub-Saharan African countries having the highest rates. Giving birth is especially risky in sub-Saharan Africa where most women deliver without skilled care. According to a 2008 UN report, there are indications that only 46 per cent of deliveries in Sub-Saharan Africa are attended by skilled health personnel which is in sharp contrast to the average figures in the world’s developing regions and developed regions. Noting that the United Nations Population Fund is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a healthy life and equal opportunity, UNFPA resident representative in Dakar, Faustin Fao reiterated that it was time to better explain their work to media practitioners who can better accompany the organisation in its duties particularly in social development. Faustin Yao said it is time for journalists to tell the population to accept doing what is important and for their interest particularly family planning.
In achieving the fifth Millennium Development Goal, which favours access to reproductive healthcare as well as reducing maternal and infant mortality, UNFPA experts explained the urgent need for journalists to reinforce their competence and be motivated in producing quality reports on maternal mortality and neonatal mortality. Journalists were urged to educate the community on the importance of the health of mothers and children, present the exact statistics on the situation of maternal and neonatal mortality so as to prompt better policies on the health of women and children. Stating that hemorrhage is one of the leading causes of maternal mortality, journalists were told to urge people to donate blood while helping to curb the myth surrounding the act of blood donation as well as family planning. UNFPA also expects media practitioners to come-up with reports that lobby for assistance towards women and children. With the network created by the journalists at the end of the workshop, it is expected that they will build public opinion so as to bring about change in the situation of pregnant women and children in Africa.
