PAHA ENDS STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT ON SAFE MOTHERHOOD BILL

Sylvanus Joseph Kpana Karim

With efforts to enhance a better health system in the country, People Alliance for Reproductive Health Advocacy has ended a day stakeholders' Engagement On the Safe Motherhood Bill

The engagement which took place at the Centre For Accountability and Rule of Law Regional office in Bo City and targeted Civil Society Organizations, Traders Union Inter-religious Council, Ministry of Health and sanitation, Local Council Workers, Media houses, and other Partners from across Kenema, Bonthe, Moyamba, Bo and Pujehun Districts. 

Giving a brief background of the project, the national coordinator, Center for Accountability and Rule of Law, Jeremy Ben Simbo, who doubles as the Secretary-General for People Alliance for Reproductive Heath Advocacy said, the organization is a coalition of 50 Organizations in and out of Sierra Leone and that have got funding from Amplified Change, with the primary aim to Popularize and practice Safe Motherhood Bill in the Country.

Jeremy said, though the Safe motherhood Bills has once been discussed, but due to poor sensitization, limited knowledge about the bill and other key factors still remains a challenge to actualize its goal, maintaining that this is the second time the organization is working with the Ministry of Health and Sanitation in ensuring that the safe Motherhood Bills is actualized 

According to Jeremy, Teenage Pregnancy, early Child Marriage, STIs, Sexual Gender Based Violence and other diseases are possible challenges Girls are facing in the Community but said the introduction of Safe Motherhood Bills, will help reduce these Challenges, and will minimize to the number of unsafe abortion by quack doctors. 

He registered that in order to succeed in the implementation of the project he promised to closely work with the Media and other stakeholders in the district, asserting that lack of sex education in Schools and homes are some of the factors militating against reproductive health.

Philip Koroma is the focal person - People Alliance for Reproductive Health Advocacy in Kenema District; he said Safe Motherhood bill is currently in the hands of the law Officers department and they are expecting parliamentarians to pass it into law, revealing that the recent survey conducted shows that More Children are dying because of Criminal/unsafe abortion.