This conference was held to promote and raise awareness on maternal, newborn and child health, especially including the important role midwives play in that continuum of care. The conference celebrated the hardwork and dedication of the midwives, and encouraged key stakeholders to invest in their training and education, as well as the regulation of the profession.
Speaking at the conference, the CEO of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA), Mr Stephen Sobhani noted: "Midwives are the first eyes to see and the first hands to hold our future". He also explained, "if we improve lives, we save the world, and Nigerians can change the world. WBFA has always put midwives at the centre of its interventions, as it understands the important position they hold in achieving sustainable change in healthcare, as well as reaching the SDG targets for Nigeria and the rest of sub-Saharan Africa."
To celebrate the International Day of the Midwife, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa launched several names for its advocacy and project interventions, including the #MamaCare and #MamaKind programmes. These will complement the Foundation's long-standing work, including the popular #MaternalMonday campaign.
At the Conference, Nigeria's Minister of Health commended the organizers, assuring that the Government of Nigeria will continue to deploy midwives to all parts of the country, as it works to strengthen the human resources for health capacity. Also, the UNFPA restated its passion for the strengthening of midwifery education in Nigeria, by donating training kits to select midwifery schools.
The Founder-President of the WBFA and the Global Goodwill Ambassador for the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM), Her Excellency, Mrs. Toyin Saraki emphasized the importance of midwifery to Nigeria and Africa: " I will like to personally commend the dedication of Nigerian midwives, as well as midwives from all around the world. I have seen with my own eyes the value that having a midwife can make to a mother".
The conference solidified the commitment that Nigerian health professionals, academics, and policymakers have in saving the lives of mothers and newborns in their country, through improving the status of the midwife and the profession.
L-R Hajiya Mairo Usman, Dr. (Mrs.) Ibironke Sodeinde; rep of Wife of Lagos State Governor Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, Ginger Breedlove, Frances Day-Stirk, Stephen Sobhani, Margaret Richardson, Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Margaret Akinsola, Mojisola Okudugha during the Inuagural Global Midwifery Conference in Nigeria to mark the International Day of the Midwife 2016.
Speakers and Delegates at the Inaugural Global Midwifery Conference in Abuja, Nigeria to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife 2016
L-R: UNFPA Representative, Dr Rabitu Sageer; Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Professor of Midwifery, NHS England; Frances Day-Stirk, President, International Confederation of Midwife,;
Stephen Sobhani CEO, Wellbeing Foundation Africa; and Mrs Margaret Akinsola, President of NANNM-Midwifery during the Inaugural Global Midwifery Conference in Nigeria
Frances Day-Stirk, President of the International Confederation of Midwives with Speakers and Student Nurses at the Inaugural Global Midwifery Conference to celebrate the International Day of the Midwife in Abuja, Nigeria.
Training Session Photos:
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) provides Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) Training for Midwives at the Inaugural Global Midwifery Conference
Training Session Photos:
Dr Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent joins the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) to provide Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) Training for Midwives at the Inaugural
Global Midwifery Conference
L-R: Margaret Richardson, Senior Midwifery Professional, NHS England; Jacqueline Dunkley-Bent, Professor of Midwifery, NHS England; Frances Day-Stirk, President, International Confederation of Midwife; Dr Ginger Breedlove, President, American College of Nurses and Midwives, chant "I am Proud to be a Midwife" at the Inaugural International Global Midwifery Conference in Abuja, Nigeria
For further information on this story, please contact:
The Wellbeing Foundation Africa
Email: communications@wellbeingfoundationnig.org
Web: www.wbfafrica.org
