Supporting Global Week of Action

In May, World Vision carried out a country-wide social mobilization and sensitization campaign aimed at getting to zero neo-natal and maternal deaths in the next few years.

In Mauritania, the official launch was done on Monday 4 May 2015 through a National Citizens’ Hearing which was attended by civil society, women’s groups, Government Ministries of Health, Children’s & Family Affairs, religious leaders, as well as international and local partners.

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The National Citizens’ Hearing  on preventing neo-natal and maternal deaths was the springboard of the GWA activities,  and was held in partnership with UNFPA, UNICEF, and in the presence of one of the most respected religious leaders, Hamden Ould Tah, who indicated that the GWA’ “is beneficial for the evolution and social development of Mauritania”.

The Ministry of Health officially launched the GWA.  Malouma Mint Hmeida, a well-known singer, celebrity and senator in Mauritania composed a song especially for GWA.  She attended the National Citizens’ Hearing, and she emphasized “the need for everyone’s commitment ».  “Not only should this commitment come from mothers - although they are often the ones most affected by these dreadful illnesses and have to visit sometimes appalling health centres - but fathers, politicians, religious leaders, children, sports men and women, and singers too should be committed to getting to zero preventable deaths.  We do not have that far to go.   Collective effort is therefore required to get us to our goal! » exclaimed the diva.

The World Vision National Director, Lilian Dodzo, was also quite optimistic: « Over the past 20 years, we have witnessed, the world over, significant progress towards ending preventable child deaths, and also reducing extreme poverty.  Today, the number of children who are dying, the world over, has declined to 17,000 cases per day, compared to 1990. Almost 100 million lives have been saved to date!” she explained.

"In Mauritania, the infant-child mortality rate is still quite high, at 118/1000, according to the MICS 2011, while the Millennium target, which was set to be achieved by 2015, is 45.   Under5 child deaths continue to be caused by preventable factors such as asphyxia, neo-natal infections, underweight births, severe respiratory infections, diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition," continued Lilian Dodzo.

Ould Horma, Director at the Ministry responsible for Civil Society Organisations and Parliamentary Relations concurred: « If some slight progress was made, it can be scaled up and be more significant.  It is times such as this week of Global Action that remind us all of our responsibilities, and the work that each one of us has to do to add our weight to support this battle against preventable infant-child mortality”.