Bo, southern Sierra Leone, 8 June 2022- On June 7, UNFPA Representative Nadia Rasheed concluded a two-day visit to the Eastern and Southern provinces as part of a joint UN field visit. Led by the UN Resident Coordinator Babatunde Ahonsi, the team visited the School of Midwifery in Bo, the One-Stop Centre to address GBV in Kailahun, and an initiative working with at risk youth in Kenema to promote peacebuilding and community resilience, along with other UN-supported projects.
At the Bo School of Midwifery, which is supported by UNFPA with funds from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Ms. Rasheed said that the agency was incredibly proud of the role the school plays in training midwives who are critical to ensuring every childbirth is safe. “We [UNFPA] recognize the central role of midwives in tackling maternal mortality. This effort is particularly important given that Sierra Leone faces one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world,” she stated.
The UN Resident Coordinator, Mr. Ahonsi, in his statement noted the significant progress the midwifery school has made in five years. With Sierra Leone having recorded a reduction in maternal deaths from 1,120 per 100,000 in 2013 to 717 per 100,000 live births according to the 2019 Demographic and Health Survey report, Mr. Ahonsi said, what the world committed to in 2015 as part of SDGs is that every country must aim for less than 70 deaths per 100,000 by 2030. “We cannot do this without quality midwifery,” he underscored.
Senior Tutor at the School, Sr. Fatmata Dabo, while welcoming the team, thanked the UN family for supporting midwifery education, through the development of strategies and policy documents, provision of scholarships to students, faculty development and strengthening of preceptorship programmes. To increase the number of trained midwives in the country, Sr. Dabo said the school will soon embark on direct enrolment of students into the midwifery programme without having to undertake initial nursing training.
In the eastern province, the team also visited a Youth at Risk project in Largoh, in the Nongowa chiefdom of Kenema district which is jointly supported by FAO, UNFPA and UNDP. In Kailahun, they met with the GBV steering committee members during a visit to the One-Stop Centre, supported by UNFPA and UN Women, with funding from Irish Aid. The One-Stop Centres facilitate comprehensive care for survivors of GBV which include clinical management (medical examination, and appropriate curative and prophylactic treatment), legal aid and psychosocial support.
“I had the chance to engage with community partners and to observe joint UN efforts in delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals. It was also encouraging to see how UNFPA’s work with partners is helping to transform the lives of women and young people,” Ms. Rasheed said.
For more information, contact:
John Baimba Sesay
Web and Media Analyst
Email: jsesay@unfpa.org
Tel: +232 30953193
