Fistula foundation donates vehicle for safe motherhood

Dr Annie Cloggy, founder of the Fistula Freedom Foundation, on Friday donated a vehicle to the Presidential Initiative on Maternal Health and Safe Motherhood to help the mobility of chiefs and others involved in the campaign.

The donation was made at Kamuzu Palace in Lilongwe.

Speaking on behalf of Cloggy, Magret Moyo, national director of the Fistula Foundation in Malawi, said the organisation recognises the role the safe motherhood initiative is playing in reducing deaths among pregnant mothers in the country.

“Dr. Cloggy has the welfare of Malawian mothers at heart. She introduced a fistula centre at Bwaila Hospital in Lilongwe with the aim of helping and repairing women suffering from fistula. Apart from that, she is supporting 72 midwives and nurses across the country.

“Looking at the commitment of the initiative and also as a way of complementing the President’s efforts of helping pregnant mothers, Dr Cloggy thought of donating this car,” said Moyo.

President Joyce Banda, who is the champion of the initiative, applauded Cloggy and the foundation for the donation which she said would improve access to hard-to-reach areas.

“I met Dr Cloggy in Scotland where we had a lengthy chat and when she asked about what she could do to the initiative I asked for the car. Today, I am pleased to see that the promise has been fulfilled.

“This would really address some of the challenges that the initiative is meeting,” said Banda.

The President appealed to the private sector to emulate Cloggy’s gesture.

“We need to reach to all districts of the country and may I take this opportunity to appeal to the private sector to come in and help our initiative with any kind of support,” she said.—Mana