The African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) played
host to Singer and songwriter Saba for a concert in support of the
international advocacy campaign called Stand Up For African Mothers.
Saba was born in Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, to an
Ethiopian mother (born in Somalia) and Italian father. Her latest album is done
in Swahili dubbed Life Changanyisha, recorded between Kenya and Italy.
The title of her new work is a Somali word that phonetically
recalls the ancient Greek term "Bios", "life", and its
original meaning in Somali is "water": a symbolic assonance between
life and water. The water issues are infact the main focus of Saba's new album,
published and distributed from March 2010 by the enthusiastic work of Egea
Music.
AMREF launched its international advocacy campaign called Stand
Up For African Mothers on Friday, 2 March 2012 during a fundraising dinner to
be held at the Laico Regency hotel. This initiative aims to reduce maternal and
infant mortality, a heavy burden for developing countries and particularly in
sub-Saharan Africa, where:
1.
1 in 16 women risk dying during pregnancy or
childbirth
2.
200,000 mothers die every year due to a lack of
simple medical care
3.
1.5 million African children are left motherless
each year
4.
40% of African women do not receive prenatal
care, and more than half of all deliveries take place at home without medical
assistance
The international Stand Up For African Mothers campaign will
help reduce maternal mortality in Africa by 25%, mainly by training 15,000
midwives by 2015. One trained midwife can provide care to 500 women including
safe delivery of 100 babies. Stand Up For African Mothers will also support the
highly symbolic candidacy of an African midwife, Esther Madudu, from Uganda,
for the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.
The honorary guest for the
event is Graca Machel. Corporates and individuals had a chance to present their
dummy cheques and donations before an estimated exclusive invited VIP guest
list of 400 plus as they interact with different corporate and public
organizations and decision makers.
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