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Monday 23 Feb 2015 - 13:11 Makkah mean time-4-5-1436  Malawi Muslims taken up an initiative to champion safe motherhood (Google image) Lilongwe, Malawi (IINA) - The Muslim community in Malawi has taken up an initiative to champion safe motherhood, in an effort to reduce escalating deaths of women at childbirth in the Southern African nation, which has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, IslamOnline reported.
“As women and mothers of Malawi, we feel concerned and touched with the rate this country is losing women while giving birth. It is for this reason that we have been compelled to take up this initiative in our desperate attempt to remedy the situation,” Fatima Ndaila, National Chairperson of Muslim Women Organization (MWO), told OnIslam.net.
“We are sensitizing traditional leaders to help break some cultural and traditional beliefs which are also contributing to the rise in maternal mortality rates in the country. At the same time, we are encouraging both Muslim and non-Muslim women to at all cost access modern health facilities for delivery,” she added.
“As part of this initiative, we are also reaching out to authorities to possibly make sure that advanced maternal services are made available within easy reach, so that women shouldn’t travel long distances to access them.”
From its side the government of Malawi has commended the initiative describing it as a “potential solution to a national challenge.”
“This initiative is a step in the right direction and a potential solution to a national challenge which is affecting all sectors of the economy.
Supporting the initiative, Shariah scholar Ahmed Chienda said the development was in line with teachings of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who he said had valued the lives of women lost while giving birth.
“The Prophet had valued the lives of women lost while giving birth. It is for this reason that he declared all women who die at childbirth as martyrs. I therefore, applaud this initiative,” Chienda told OnIslam.net.
“Time has come, that we have to do something to at least reduce the numbers of women dying. It is very unfortunate that we have allowed this to become a norm and not much has been done to address this challenge. This initiative therefore would be a step towards achieving that goal. Women should not die at child birth while we watch,” he said.
It is noteworthy that Malawi, which according to the World Bank is one of the poorest countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa with its majority poor struggling to survive on less than US$1 a day, is performing poorly on maternal health issues.
The country has the worst maternal mortality rate any non-conflict country in the world. Malawi records about 460 deaths per 100,000 live births, and 3000 women die due to pregnancy and childbirth each year.
SM/IINA
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