#BellaNaijaMCM Uche Kenneth Udekwe is Tackling Maternal & Child Mortality with Natal Cares

In Nigeria, hundreds of women, and children under the age of 5 die daily, making the country one of the largest contributors to maternal and child mortality in the world.

So many factors caused this: lack of access to healthcare facilities, poor health practices, use of unclean materials, among others. These can be as a result of poverty, effects of terrorism, e.t.c.

Our #BellaNaijaMCM this week Uche Kenneth Udekwe is working to change the statistics, to save more women and children.

Uche is the founder and project manager at Natal Cares, “a social enterprise with a mission to reduce maternal and infant mortality from complications of pregnancy or delivery specifically focusing on pregnant women and Nursing mothers in IDP Camps (internally Displaced Persons) and Rural disconnected communities in Nigeria.”

Natal Cares achieves its mission by providing pregnant women and nursing mothers with regular medically approved health information, through SMS and/or voice call services, on pregnancy, motherhood, safe delivery and healthy baby lifestyle to help improve their health and that of their baby.

The messages include pregnancy follow up, clinic reminders, child growth and nutrition, breastfeeding, immunisation reminders, parenting tips, common symptoms, child health care tips, nutrition guides, family planning tips and more.

The platform also has a Natal Care Kit which contains essential supplies required at childbirth to ensure a clean, safe and hygienic delivery to help mothers and newborns avoid acquiring infections during childbirth especially in underserved rural communities.

Natal Cares also carries out health care capacity buildings and sensitisation programs in IDP Camps and disconnected rural communities. It also trains traditional birth attendants and local midwives on latest delivery methods and technique.

In September 2018, Uche received the YALI Leadership Award On Health and Well-Being and by December of the same year, he was honoured with The Future Awards Africa (TFAA) Prize for Advocacy.

We celebrate Uche for devoting his life to tackling a major health issue in the country and we wish him all the best.