Human Rights of Women
Source: All Africa
Sierra Leone's First Lady, Sia Nyama Koroma's pet project, the Women's Initiative for Safer Health (W-I-S-H) has received a major boost in Europe by an association comprising spouses of Ambassadors in Brussels
called, The Association of Spouses of the African, Caribbean and Pacific and African Union (ACP-AU) Ambassadors in Brussels.
On Saturday, June 11, the association organised a fundraising Dinner Gala at the prestigious Husa President Park Hotel in Brussels to raise funds for two countries, namely Sierra Leone and Solomon Islands.
Addressing guests at the dinner, the association's president, Madam Alvida Gunessee of Mauritius said, "The first organisation that we have selected to benefit from this drive is in Sierra Leone and is known by the acronym W-I-S-H (Women's Initiative for Safer Health). W-I-S-H aims to help the country in its attempt to achieve one of the major millennium goals, namely the eradication of poverty in the country, through providing health care and education in poverty stricken areas to young girls and women".
Madam Gunessee added that the second institution to benefit from the proceeds is the "First Lady's Charity" of Solomon Islands for the purchase of a Mammogram machine, the lack of which has resulted to many unnecessary deaths in the Island.
In an elated mood whilst addressing the guests, Madam Rosemary Kargbo (wife of Sierra Leone's Ambassador to Brussels, Dr. Christian Kargbo), who had been vigorously lobbying her counterparts for the past two years to achieve such a dream, highlighted the gloomy picture of Sierra Leone's infant and maternal mortalities before the introduction of the Free Health Care initiative for Children Under Five and lactating mothers by President Ernest Bai Koroma in April last year. "It was therefore deemed a priority and paramount importance by our First Lady and the patriotic women of Sierra Leone to set up the project in Sierra Leone known as W-I-S-H, designed to improve women's reproductive health outcomes."
Madam Rosemary Kargbo admonished guests that having a healthy and productive nation means taking exceptional care of our nation's pregnant women. "Pregnancy related complications resulting in deaths are unnecessary and preventable, which are sadly caused by a lack of access to timely and quality health care thus ensuring the future of our children. No woman should die during child birth and every child has the right to live," she stated.
The Dinner Gala was not only attended by spouses of ACP-AU ambassadors and their husbands but other distinguished personalities as well.
Guests were entertained by cultural performances from the Pacific group and dancers from Mauritius, whilst Morlai Bai Kamara and a dance band from the Democratic Republic of Congo were in full attendance to add spice to the occasion.