Over ten thousand rural women in Gassol LG of Taraba state Sunday lauded Global Alliance for Vaccine and Immunisation (Gavi), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for introducing Mama-to Mama Initiative to support reducing maternal mortality and improving health among women and children in the state.
A rural woman in Gassol, Hajia Ummi Rakyutu Gassol, while speaking with Blueprint during the media field trip to Gassol said the initiative of mama-to-mama by Gavi and the UNICEF has assisted community women across the 16 local government areas of the state of their maternal mortality and improving health among children.
She noted that since the introduction of mama-to-mama initiative, Gavi and UNICEF has improved their access to new and underused vaccines for those of those of them living in poor communities.
She highlighted that mama-to-mama initiative has brought a significant change in the entire Gossal LGA, especially among women and children who are the sole targets of the initiative.
She hinted that before the initiative of mama-to-mama, what they usually do in their community whenever they are sick was to concentrate on taking local herbs.
“Before, we didn’t believe in going to the hospital whenever we were sick or trying to give birth, what we relied on were our local herbs, which we were already used to.
“But when the mama-to-mama team came and went round and educated us about the need to go to the hospital; we adhered to their advice and since then whenever we are sick and visit hospital we receive treatments, tests and medication and after a while we get better, she said.
