Women Volunteers Call on Taraba Govt for Aid.

Newspointer May 27, 2024

Okerafor Athanatius, Jalingo

Women voluntary group also known as Mama-to-Mama have called on the Taraba State government for funds to help run its programmes smoothly in the state.

Haj. Rukaiya Mohammed, leader of Mama to Mama support group in Lau made the call while responding to questions from Journalists at Lau Primary Health Care Centre of Lau Local Government Area of the State.

Haj. Mohammed, who described Mama-to-mama as a voluntary group saddled with the responsibility of carrying out advocacy awareness campaigns to rural women across the Local Government pointed out that its major challenge is lack of fund to carry out its operations smoothly.

Their major targets according to her are pregnant women at the local level, ‘we advise and educate them on the advantages of visiting clinics and hospitals for ante-natal care, during and after delivery’.

She further lauded the women of the area saying they have been cooperating with the group since inception, which has not only improved the health conditions of women but has reduced the cases of maternal death and child mortality in the Local Government.

Her words, “before now, women refused to come to the clinic but with the intervention of Mama to Mama, out of 100% women, about 85 – 90% now visit the Clinic for health care needs.

Mrs. Felicia Francis, a routine immunization officer, primary health care of Lau added to the impressive efforts of the initiative saying, their services have impacted positively on the lives of the rural women in various communities.

A community leader, Hassan Yahaya of Anguwan Gwana said, their wives during labour suffer excruciating pains before delivery. Some times, he narrated that both mother and child lose their lives but with the presence of Mama to Mama, they hardly encounter such problems again.

Mrs. Christiana Habila Habu, the Assistant Health Educator on Advocacy and Health Promotion, Taraba State Primary Health Care Development Agency, Jalingo explained that in times past, women used to deliver at home and in so doing, complications arise.

Mrs. Habu further disclosed that with the awareness created by Mama to Mama support group, 90% of mothers visit the hospital for ante-natal services, child delivery, among others. Mama to Mama has indeed reduced the mortality rate among women in the State”, she added.

The Assistant Health Educator on Advocacy and Health Promotion TSPHCDA Jalingo however, called on the state government to assist Mama to Mama with financial assistance to enable the group carry out its awareness campaigns without much turbulence.

Mama to Mama volunteer group, our Correspondent gathered was a health initiative of the United Nations Children’s Educational Fund (UNICEF), with funding from GAVI whose catchment areas presently are; Bauchi, Gombe and Taraba.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *