This is our Christmas gift for 2016!Meet the MamaYe hero and heroines from Lagos State. Read what make them tick and how they are contributing to saving the lives of pregnant women and newborns. Dr. Imosemi O. Donald | Accomplished Health Worker Dr. Donald is the Chief Medical Director at Lagos Island Maternity Hospital. He puts the safety of pregnant women first, whether they were booked in his hospital or not, and he encouraged his staff on utmost diligence to ensure that pregnant women are delivered safely of their pregnancies. He also introduced several institutional ideas to ensure that no pregnant woman dies of any preventable cause in his facility.INNOVATION, PRIVATE SECTOR INCLUSION AND INTRODUCTION OF INSTITUTIONAL PHILANTHROPY KEEPS LAGOS ISLAND MATERNITY CENTRE RUNNING TO HELP PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS SURVIVE. Mrs. Morili Faboya | Accomplished Health WorkerMrs. Faboya is a long time trainer of nurses and midwives in Life-saving Skills. Described as very selfless, caring, loving and dutiful, Mrs. Faboya positively influenced her students, colleagues and pregnant women. She never allowed a pregnat woman to go hungry or get detained because of hospital bills. She became popular for the right reason-of helping pregnant women and newborns survive. MRS. FABOYA IS LOVED BY ALL BECAUSE SHE SHARES LOVE WITH PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS TO ENSURE THAT THEY SURVIVE. IF SHARING LOVE IS 1 ACTION TO HELP PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS SURVIVE, WHAT CAN YOU DO?Habiba Mobolaji Basanya | Accomplished Media PersonHabiba is Producer/Presenter, Health Matters at TV Continental, Lagos. She is passionate about maternal and newborn health (MNH) issues. She facilitates free airtime for MNH discussions, and she responds to Civil Society Organisations’ programs without expectations for gratifications. She also uses personal resources to produce MNH stories to benefit mothers, babies and her community.COMPASSION, SELFLESSNESS AND DILIGENCE DRIVE HABIBA. WHERE THERE WAS NO ROOM FOR MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH AWARENESS PROGRAMME, SHE CREATED ONE TO SAVE THE LIVES OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS. Franka Osakwe | Accomplished Media PersonBefore her appointment as a reporter for Guardian Newspaper, Franka was with The Mirror Newspaper. There, she conducted several investigative reporting on maternal and newborn health. Several of her reports got to policy makers and pushed them into action. Beyond that, Franka gives her time to support civil society organisations (CSO) working on maternal and newborn health (MNH) issues. Many CSOs recognise her support and contribution, and thought her worthy of the prestigious MamaYe Heroine award.DILIGENCE AND DEDICATION RUN UNDER THE SKIN OF FRANKA. SHE GIVES HER TIME FOR IN-DEPTH COVERAGE OF MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH STORIES, AND HER ENERGY TO SUPPORT ACTIVITIES TOWARD IMPROVING MNH. Mrs. Ololade Alonge | Community ActivistShe is passionate and committed to supporting Lagos State Government with free washing machines for winners of MNCH week competitions consistently for over 10 years. She has used personal funds to supply generators and chairs to some PHCs in Lagos to improve ANC and delivery services.MRS. ALONGE IS AN ASSET TO THE MEDIA AND THE GOVERNMENT OF LAGOS STATE ON EXPERTISE AND INTERVENTIONS FOR MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH. HER PASSION CREATES VALUE FOR THE LIVES OF PREGNANT WOMEN AND NEWBORNS IN HER COMMUNITY. Chief Mrs. Oroja Giwa | Community ActivistThe chief is a busy trader, and a high level and deeply-involved politician. But she still has time for community mobilisation. She is a highly respected volunteer health worker at Rauf Aregbesola flagship PHC, Ipaja, Lagos. Above all, she uses personal funds for community mobilisation to ensure that pregnant women attend ANC and give birth in the PHC in her community.MRS. OROJA HAS HELPED INCREASE THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS ABOUT ANTENATAL CARE ATTENDANCE, FACILITY DELIVERY, AND IMPORTANCE AND UPTAKE OF FAMILY PLANNING IN HER COMMUNITY. THESE ARE POTENTIALS TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH.It was a glittering and a happy day for MamaYe, the awardees and other MamaYe Super Activists. Above all, it is a good development in improving maternal and newborn health in Lagos State. See the award photos here.All the MamaYe hero and heroines contribute selflessly, without expecting any recognition or reward. They were not looking forward to the coming of 1 MamaYe. They were just contributing to humanity. They have laid a good example, will you follow their footstep by thinking of how you can act to help pregnant women and newborns survive?
MamaYe launched in Lagos. But the most fascinating news is about MamaYe hero and heroines who were recognised for their selfless contribution to the development of maternal and newborn health. While they were helping, they were not expecting the recognition that has come their way.