This is the story of Magdalene Mbando, a retired teacher who has helped to shape the lives of Malawian teenagers for 39 years. Teachers in Malawi have the opportunity to help improve maternal health by working with our adolescents and to help youths return to school after childbirth.
On average a child spends 8 hours of their day with a teacher, making teachers one of the greatest influencers on a child’s life. They have the power to tear a child apart or to build them up. Despite this important role teachers often are not recognized by our society.They are not only important in furthering the educational but also the health goals of a nation. This even includes contributing towards the reduction of maternal mortality which is at 675 per 100,000 births in Malawi (DHS 2010). Magdalene Mbando is a retired primary school teacher, who has taught for over 39 years in 5 different schools in the central and southern regions of Malawi. Magdalene believes that teachers have the capability of making a great difference in reducing maternal mortality. She said that raising awareness of what Malawians have to do, needs to start with the teachers. From her experience, she believes that teachers can raise awareness on issues such as the dangers of early teenage pregnancies, the importance of donating blood for mothers and babies and also changing the attitudes that people have towards blood donations. Mbando continued to say that teachers have a significant role in helping girls to stay in school and also to encourage those that have dropped out to prioritise returning to school. Happy International Teachers Day to all the Malawian teachers! We wish to recognise all of your efforts as activists and work to improving maternal health.To read more about maternal mortality in Malawi please read key facts from the latest Demographic and Health Survey and the WHO guidelines on reproductive health for adolescents.