Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 70 per cent of all maternal deaths worldwide. Despite a 40 per cent decline in the global maternal mortality rate since 2000, progress has slowed, and multiple global crises now threaten to reverse these gains. Every two minutes, a woman dies from pregnancy or childbirth-related causes, and for every woman who dies, 20-30 suffer acute to severe disability — most of which are preventable.
Her Majesty The Queen of Denmark announced her patronage of the 10 Million Safer Births Initiative.
No woman should risk her life
“No woman should risk life to give life,” said The Queen. “I am honoured to announce my patronage of this very concrete initiative, which aims to ensure 10 million safer births by end 2030 across Sub-Saharan Africa.”
The first phase of the initiative will be able to deliver targeted support to midwives and frontline health workers to strengthen maternal and newborn care in Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Tanzania.
The support will include the scaling up of Maternity Foundation’s widely used Safe Delivery+ programme, which includes the free Safe Delivery App. The app provides healthcare professionals, particularly midwives in low-resource settings, with access to evidence-based guidelines and video demonstrations on preventative, routine, and emergency maternal and newborn care, on their mobile devices. This enables them to prevent or manage life-threatening situations more effectively, ultimately improving maternal and newborn health and survival rates.
Right to give birth safely
The Government of Denmark and the Gates Foundation are supporting the initiative. Denmark will provide a DKK 32 million (USD 4.9 million) investment. The Gates Foundation intends to allocate an additional USD 1.5 million as part of its support to scaling up midwifery models of care under the Midwifery Accelerator initiative.
“Denmark is proud to support this bold, innovative initiative,” said Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen. “Every woman has the right to give birth safely, and we are committed to making that a reality.”
Key role of midwifes
“Healthy mothers and babies are the foundations of vibrant communities—and midwives play a key role in helping them thrive,” said Dr. Paulin Basinga, Africa Director of the Gates Foundation. “The 10 Million Safer Births initiative is about more than saving lives—it’s about equality. Too many women in Africa face life-threatening risks in childbirth simply because of where they live. By coming together across sectors and borders, we have a real opportunity to close that gap and transform care at the very start of life.”
“Access to quality midwifery care can spell the difference between life and death for women and their babies,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem. “The 10 Million Safer Births Initiative will give midwives the tools to save lives in some of the most challenging settings. UNFPA is grateful to Her Majesty Queen Mary of Denmark and the Danish Government and Gates Foundation supporting this important effort to make childbirth safer.”
Need to rethink
“We will not close the gap in maternal mortality by 2030 by doing the same as we always did. We need to rethink the way things are done. This initiative brings together innovation, data, and collaboration across sectors to strengthen maternal care where it’s needed most.,” said Anna Frellsen, CEO of Maternity Foundation. “Together, we can transform outcomes for millions of women and their newborns.”
The 10 Million Safer Births Initiative is a flagship programme implemented through UNFPA’s Maternal and Newborn Health Fund, which provides catalytic support to ensure that every woman, adolescent girl and newborn can access quality sexual, reproductive, maternal and newborn health services.
(Source: UNFPA West and Central Africa)
