The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has decried the loss of women during pregnancy and at the point of child delivery in Nigeria while raising the alarm that the current trajectory may push more women into extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by 2030.
Tusha Rane, the Chief of Bauchi UNICEF Field Office, in a statement commemorating this year’s International Women’s Day, tagged “InvestInWomen” “She is the Solution”, said shockingly, one in seven girls in developing countries is married before reaching the age of 15.
He added adolescent girls continue to face elevated risks of sexual violence. “If present trajectories persist, the number of girls and women living in extreme poverty in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to increase by 2030.
“Nearly half of adolescent girls in UNICEF programme countries suffer from anaemia and lack access to essential health and nutrition services in the event of pregnancy.
Speaking further, a health Officer with UNICEF, Mr. Oluseyi Olosunde, at a stakeholder dialogue in Gombe recently revealed that 6 out of 10 deliveries happen at home in five states while posing danger to women and the lives of babies.
“123 out of 1000 of Under5 children living in rural areas die before their 5th birthday while about half 67 per 1000 were reported for children living in urban areas,” Olosunde said.
“142 per 1000 for children born by mothers with no education die before their 5th birthday but only 40 per 1000 for children born by mothers with tertiary education or higher respectively. 133 out of 1000 of U5 children born in the poorest households die.”
Olosunde called on critical stakeholders to invest in women and children wellness to save 77 percent of maternal mortality, neonatal mortality-related deaths particularly in communities.
