Yemen

National Safe Motherhood Alliance Raises Awareness and Mobilizes

This quarter, the National Safe Motherhood Alliance (NSMA) partnered with several government institutions and non-governmental organizations (Yamaan Institution, Basic Health Services, UK Department for International Development, Yemeni Women’s Union, National Women Committee, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Social Fund Development, and Ministry of Endowments and Guidance) to achieve its goals.

Awareness-raising Activities

• NSMA prepared and printed 5000 copies of a booklet on family planning, which aims to inform the youth about family planning issues.
• NSMA prepared and printed 2000 copies of ten real stories of Yemeni mothers who lost their newborns and families who lost their mothers. These stories aim to identify the health problems that lead to morbidity and mortality for mothers and babies.
• During May, NSMA held three training workshops targeting 65 social workers to discuss how reproductive health and safe motherhood issues can be included in school activities or summer camps.
• During May and June, in coordination with NSMA partners, there were several orientation meetings about NSMA and safe motherhood issues. NSMA held two orientation meetings for 60 female guides and religious preachers on the issues of safe motherhood so they would include these topics in their community activities.

Social Mobilization

• NSMA taught 27 trainers so that they can train others in community mobilization for safe motherhood issues to mobilize the greatest number of community groups for advocacy.
• During a festival for safe motherhood in the city of Hodeidah during the month of April, NSMA held educational activities, songs, children’s dancing, freehand, interviews, and clinical and laboratory investigations for women. The majority of the NSMA partners and school students shared in this activity.
• During April and June, NSMA held two workshops on safe motherhood issues for women leaders and decision-makers from various government institutions and non-governmental organizations, to include such issues in various direct actions of support and advocacy.
• At the beginning of April, a session was held for 21 members of the print, radio and television media, where they were trained in how to address the issues of safe motherhood to different audiences in all parts of the country.
• In June, staff from the WRA Global Secretariat came to work with NSMA to review progress in the first year of a grant for the United Kingdom Department for International Development. They found that NSMA achieved most of the targets