Safe Motherhood Program

Safe Motherhood is an initiative developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with numerous partners, including the United Nations (United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA), and number of various NGOs, with a goal to promote reproductive health in women and to safeguard safe and responsible motherhood.

The program’s aim is to guarantee that all adolescents are aware of and have access to information, education, support, services and necessary treatments in the field of reproductive health. The main objective is to develop strategies to make adolescents become aware of and to be in control of their bodies so as to achieve the best levels of health.

The specific aims of this program are to:

• reduce unwanted pregnancy rates (resulting in desertion from school)
• reduce abortion rates and complications resulting from abortions
• reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates
• reduce the rate of infection/sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS)

This program is managed within World Friends by two nurses from the Neema Hospital, Esther and Lucy , specialized as community nurses and obstetricians.
The program is targeted at primary school girls (sixth, seventh and eighth forms, i.e. 10-14 years) in a number of the Nairobi shanty towns (Babadogo, Huruma, Kariobangi, Korogocho) where the meetings are held.

Topics on the agenda:

• introduction to the Safe Maternity Program
• anatomy and physiology of the female reproductive system
• changes taking place in adolescence
• sex, sexuality, sexual activity, especially during adolescence
• pregnancy (healthy, safe, underage and/or undesired)
• abortions (illegal abortions, complications)
• infections/sexually transmitted diseases (including HIV/AIDS)

All these topics are treated with an eye to prevention.