Twelve African women, among them a Malawian, have been recognised as global health heroines for their efforts to promote healthy living.
Women in Global Health Organisation has awarded the winners for advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The Malawian, Mary William Brown of Neno District, is said to have started the work in 2004, after experiencing difficulties while delivering her first child at home.
Despite attaining limited education, Brown supervises other women who collectively identify and refer about 75 percent of pregnancies to the nearest healthcare service facility.
In a statement, Roopa Dhatt, who is the co-founder and executive director of Women in Global Health, said Brown’s efforts have led to 70 percent of women of childbearing age accessing family planning services, despite the nearest facility not offering modern contraceptives due to religious and other reasons.
“She believes that access to contraceptives and sexual and reproductive health services enables women to make informed choices about their health, space out their pregnancies and provides a foundation for a dignified life for their children. Family planning gives women the opportunity to give birth by choice and not by chance,” she says.
The other women are from Ethiopia, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda, Nigeria, Togo and Ghana.
The awards were presented to the women on the sidelines of the 2023 Women Deliver Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, the first time such a meeting is taking place in Africa.
