STATEMENT FROM THE FIRST LADIES OF GHANA, SIERRA LEONE AND ZANZIBAR AT THE WOMEN DELIVER 2010 CONFERENCE
9 June 2010
Hello. We are the first ladies of Ghana, Sierra Leone and Zanzibar and are honored to stand before you today. We believe that the first human right is the right to safe and healthy lives. Maternal mortality denies women prematurely that right and the rate of maternal deaths speaks loudly about the health status of a country. The problems women share recognize no borders.
We have been reminded here at Women Deliver that all things are possible when women support each other. Whether you live in a developing or a developed nation, we each have something to offer. As first ladies, we commit to influencing our governments to put into place the policies that can have the greatest impact. We will continue the advocacy work we are already doing. And we will work harder to influence the role of culture on social conditions, particularly males’ attitudes.
We will continue to tackle early marriage, family planning, and practices around childbirth. We will lead advocacy for quality education of our girls, and we will increase economic advantages for women. It is so clear that women have power, and that we must use that power to ensure that all girls grow up into healthy, educated women. We, the first ladies, promise we will take that responsibility seriously. Thank you.
- Mrs. Ernestina Naadu Mills, Ghana; Mrs. Shadya A. Kurume, Zanzibar; Mrs. Sia Nyama Koroma, Sierra Leone
Entry Comments
Thank you ladies for taking a stand for the women (and future)of your contries. As a former Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone and someone who has traveled widely across the African Continent, I am hopeful that you can engage your own governments and people as well as the governments and people of all the nations on the African continent to actively support and take action to alleviate and erase maternal mortality. I know that there are tens of thousands (and more) women like me who support you in this arena.