International Day for Maternal Health and Rights: Advocacy At All Levels

I became a mother in the United States and after the birth of my two oldest children, it was not feasible for me to study my lifelong passion, which was medicine at that time. It was a bitter and difficult decision to give it up for another health field that was more flexible for a new mother. Looking back now, I can say with so much passion that my little experience in the medical field, made it easy for me to delve into the field of Public Health, without much ado. More so, I unconditionally fell in love with Maternal and Child Health (MCH). Now, I rave about MCH, I talk about it, write about it, spread the word about it, love it inside and out, and truly, I breathe it! MCH has become one of my undying sweethearts!

It’s an irony that in this day and age, MCH rights are still one of the public health issues we deal with in our world of today. It is sad, pathetic, and heartbreaking that women die almost every minute in Nigeria where I hail from, and in so many countries in the world, mainly because of lack of basic emergency services. But hope is not lost. I have been hopeful for many years and through these years, I have seen the springing up of so many MCH-specific organizations, tending to the lives of women, children, and youth. One of them is Childbirth Survival International, co-founded by one of my sweet and ever smiling friend, Tausi Suedi. I call her ‘Professor Tausi’.

I feel blessed and fortunate that I am part of the movement towards removing any kind of barrier against maternal health and rights. We, as women, need to be our own driving force in speaking up for what is right and advocating for justice and basic human rights. We, as women, need to serve the underserved and less fortunate with our time, talents, and treasures, wherever we are. Of course, this has to start from the home by empowering family members so that there would be a triple effect across communities.

As we all celebrate life through serving many women, mothers, and children locally and globally, let us take this time to ponder and reflect on the opportunities we have been gifted with, that we often take for granted. Let us seize this opportunity to support and amplify the voices for maternal health and rights.

By Maryam Funmilayo, Raleigh, North Carolina

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