This weeks guest blogger is Rita Allen, SIGBI‘s Assistant Programme Director for Health. Here she talks about the UNICEF petition calling for the UK Government to contribute more money to the Global Fund and announces SIGBI‘s exciting new partnership with ‘Mother and Child Advocacy International’.

UNICEF

UK’s Campaign Team recently delivered a petition to Stephen O’Brien, UK Member of Parliament Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for International Development. The petition calls for the Government to contribute enough money to the Global Fund to help it to continue it’s lifesaving work, particularly to meet the target of stopping babies being born with HIV by 2015.

Also present at the handing in of the petition were representatives from the Stop AIDS Campaign, Student Stop AIDS, campaigning organisation Results UK and youth-led development agency Restless Development. 

Mr O’Brien said "The British government is strongly committed to supporting the improvement of services to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV and to work with others to eradicate AIDS in children. We have put women and children’s health at the core of our international development agenda. Our commitments will help save the lives of at least 50,000 more women during pregnancy and childbirth, and 250,000 babies, and provide access to family planning for at least 10 million more couples."

As well as the issue of HIV transmission there is also the great problem of complications arising during pregnancy and birth due to  a lack of trained medical personnel. Women, with little knowledge of their bodies and little control over family planning issues, living in remote regions with no transport often give birth alone, or with a poorly skilled birth attendant. All of these factors contribute to make birth a very hazardous event for both mother and baby. Should the mother die in child birth there will usually be several children left without a mother to care for them.

It is because of these circumstances that SIGBI has recently agreed to a collaboration with MCAI (Mother and Child Advocacy International). Click here to visit their website.  I have been very impressed by their organisation, contacts and the comprehensive way in which they conduct their interventions. I think that working with such an organisation will maximise our input and I look forward to launching our partnership. More news to follow in the future!

Rita Allen – SIGBI APD Health