First Lady of Rwanda Launches ACCESS Initiative

By: Katrin DeCamp

In an effort to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity nationally, ACCESS/Rwanda, led by Jhpiego and implemented in partnership with Save the Children and IMA World Health, welcomed Rwanda’s First Lady Jeannette Kagame to the official launch of a new White Ribbon Alliance (WRA) Chapter in Rwanda. The WRA, an international organization working to promote safe pregnancy in 110 countries and National Alliances, had not previously had a presence in the country.

ACCESS, along with the WRA, is working to improve the standards of performance in Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (EmONC) by training providers in EmONC, training community health workers, developing community health messages and implementing Kangaroo Mother Care to improve care for low birth weight babies. Thanks to its partnership with the WRA, ACCESS is working to improve maternal and newborn care, which is now receiving national attention.

The maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity statistics in Rwanda are among the worst in Africa—approximately 43 percent of the deaths of children under one year of age occur during the neonatal period, and less than 14 percent of women give birth with a trained provider. ACCESS and WRA are working together to combat these factors by making significant improvements in skilled birth attendance and postpartum newborn care and coverage.

During the launch, the First Lady praised the global attempts to reduce maternal deaths, but reminded attendees of the considerable obstacles for women and babies in developing countries such as Rwanda. “We are aware of the shocking statistics of maternal and infant mortality rates. That these deaths are brought about by preventable causes is a call for action to accelerate our combined efforts to reduce if not end this.”

According to Mr. Jérémie Zoungrana, ACCESS Country Representative and WRA board member based in Rwanda, “Not only do programs like ACCESS contribute to the WRA and Safe Motherhood directly, but also indirectly through the involvement of their staff at global and national levels. He goes on to say, “My election to the WRA Board has been a great opportunity for the Program to be represented at the highest levels of decision-making.”

Now that ACCESS and Jhpiego—in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and its partners—have helped to establish the WRA Chapter in Rwanda, they will continue to support the development of a national structure to coordinate activities at the country level.