10 October 2008
Kigali — First Lady Jeanette Kagame, will on October 13 launch a branch of the White Ribbon Alliance- Rwandan Chapter in the country.
White Ribbon Alliance [WRA], an international coalition of individuals and organizations, started in 1999 to promote global awareness for the safety of pregnancy and childbirth.
The organization whose activities are in line with Rwanda's Millennium Development Goals [MDGs] to cut down on maternal deaths was embraced by the Ministry of Health.
"We are happy that many partners are joining this initiative. In Rwanda, it is estimated that one woman dies every three hours because of pregnancy related problems.
The alliance is here to change that," said Caroline Kayonga, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Health is quoted in a press release issued by the Ministry of Health.
This launch, according to press release, is a result of a successful awareness meeting that took place on October 2 in Kigali. Accordingly, at the same meeting, more than seventy participants subscribed for the WRA membership.
Presently, the organization is networking in 91 countries and seeks to advocate for women suffering the pains of mortality due to complications of child birth and pregnancy.
Previously, WRA held a global campaign titled 'A promise to mothers lost.'
It was directed at governments to improve maternal health sections through investment.
The WRN- Rwandan Chapter is sponsored by the ministry of health, UK Department for International Development [DfID], United States Agency for International Development [USAID], the World Bank and the United Nations Population Fund [UNFPA].
The initiative is aimed at reducing the maternal mortality by 75% by 2015 on the African continent.
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