We must enable women to live richer lives

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta with Princess Zahra Aga Khan during the launch of a survey on maternal and child health conducted by the Ministry of Health and the Aga Khan University, at Safari Park hotel, Nairobi on April 27, 2016. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Lack of trained and skilled medical staff, lack of well-equipped health facilities, and poor infrastructure mean that woman die from what, under better conditions, would be preventable causes.
  • Within the broader efforts of advancing maternal health, we need to focus on women’s empowerment and adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health.
  • We must discuss how to empower women to survive childbirth, stay in school, contribute to the economy.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I found myself in need of help. I was visiting my mother in Nanyuki, the sleepy little town north-west of Mount Kenya where I grew up, and in the middle of the night my waters broke.

The problem? I was only seven months pregnant, too early to be going into labour. I rushed to the local hospital and received a sobering diagnosis: the baby was premature and would need to be placed in an incubator in order to survive.

At that time, there were no incubators in Nanyuki and so my only option was to drive to Nairobi and hope that I made it in time. A friend offered to drive me and off we went, with a car full of blankets and tea, driving as fast as we could through the dark night.

Thankfully, we made it to Nairobi, and my baby — tiny, fragile, and weak as she was — survived. She is now 25 years old.

This experience showed me just how vulnerable women are when they have to face complicated births without any professional assistance.

And unfortunately, this is the reality for thousands of women, women who give birth under difficult circumstances without the safety of doctors, nurses, trained birth attendants, and health facilities that I was fortunate enough to have.

The health inequalities in Kenya are enormous. Only six of our 47 counties account for close to 50 per cent of all deaths related to pregnancies. Lack of trained and skilled medical staff, lack of well-equipped health facilities, and poor infrastructure mean that woman die from what, under better conditions, would be preventable causes. We have to change that.

Improving maternal health is a goal in itself for the many women and girls who will feel its impact. But it is also a means to an even greater end. Kenya is on the verge of reaping a demographic dividend: an economic boost made possible by having a large youth population that is educated and empowered.

However, realising this requires action now. Civil society, the government, and the private sector need healthy, educated, and empowered young people to advance. And maternal health is at the centre of realising this.

Within the broader efforts of advancing maternal health, we need to focus on women’s empowerment and adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health.

These areas include harmful practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage, which deny girls their right to dignity and often push them out of education, with grave consequences for their future ability to fulfil their potential to lift their nations out of poverty.

EMPOWER WOMEN AND GIRLS

Another key area is cooperation between the United Nations and the private sector. Acknowledgment of the private sector as a key development partner is getting more and more traction.

However, a key obstacle is trying to navigate the UN system. The key is to break down the complexity and clearly outline how you can contribute, whether it is in your local community, workplace, as a business leader, or a private citizen. I think it all begins with information and dialogue. We have to discuss how we can empower women and teenage girls to make free, informed, and responsible choices about their sexual and reproductive health.

We must discuss how to empower them to survive childbirth, stay in school, contribute to the economy. These discussions will make up the foundation on which we can help them and their children live healthier, richer lives. Ensuring this is a foundation for creating more prosperous nations.

By advancing maternal health, we give women, children, and young people a chance to actively help build a prosperous and peaceful Kenya. It is a chance that I, and my daughter, so nearly lost 25 years ago.

The writer is UNFPA’s honorary ambassador in Kenya. [email protected]. Twitter: @gina_din.