Self-Care for Maternal & Newborn Health
By Michelle Rodriguez, Self-Care Program & Policy Manager, White Ribbon Alliance
Self-care is a 7-day-a-week/24-hour-a-day endeavor; hence International Self-Care Day is celebrated on July 24th (7/24) every year.
This year White Ribbon Alliance is delighted to showcase the leadership of maternal, newborn and child health self-care initiatives in Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and Bolivia. Just last week, White Ribbon Alliance (WRA), Bayer and Every Woman Every Child hosted an event at the UN High Level Political Forum to highlight self-care’s impact and value to women, communities and national governments.
Self-care isn’t a new concept. Defined by the World Health Organization in the 1980s, it is the activities an individual and communities can take on behalf of their own health, including leveraging local knowledge and resources — a concept which has a profound impact for women and children’s health. Simply put, supporting self-care actions results in informed and confident women who are able to lead their own health care and that of their families.
This time last year, WRA launched a policy paper calling on national governments and international bodies to support women-centered care. One year later we have amazing results and noteworthy partnerships.
In Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, we’ve signed memorandums of understanding with Ministries of Health to encourage birth preparedness and prenatal care. These formalized partnerships are significant because in addition to both governments seeing us as a trusted partner, they are also committing to women-centered health care.
In Bolivia, the self-care efforts will be influencing new policy which will ensure women have nutritious food, ensuring healthier mothers, newborns and ultimately, saving lives.
We’re extremely proud of the efforts and impact the White Ribbon Alliance self-care initiative have made to date. We know that every step, big and small, toward women-centered care has tremendous implications for the community for generations to come.
Donate to White Ribbon Alliance and help protect and promote women’s health around the world. White Ribbon Alliance unites citizens to demand the right to a safe birth for every woman, everywhere. We harness the power of local women and men to achieve lasting change. Our approach is working. Subscribe to WRA Voices and follow WRA on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about the work White Ribbon Alliance does around the world.
