MamaBase Supports Vulnerable Women Through Pregnancy, Delivery in Ibeju-Lekki

The Maternal and Reproductive Health Collective (MRH Collective), through its MamaBase Programme, has called for stronger government and private sector support to expand its intervention for vulnerable pregnant women across Nigeria.
The organisation made the call during a community sensitisation programme held recently at the Lekki Primary Health Centre in the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Development Area of Lagos State, where beneficiaries shared experiences of how the programme had supported them through antenatal care, delivery and postnatal follow-up.

Speaking during the sensitisation programme, the Chief Operating Officer of MRH Collective, Funmi Owosho, said the organisation’s major objective was to contribute to reducing maternal mortality in Nigeria by improving access to maternal healthcare.
Owosho explained that the programme operates through what the organisation calls the MILE approach, which involves mapping vulnerable communities, identifying pregnant women, linking them to nearby healthcare facilities, educating them and providing support.

According to her, community health workers are deployed to communities to identify vulnerable pregnant women and encourage them to register for antenatal care and eventually deliver at recognised healthcare facilities.
She said the programme sometimes covers registration and initial screening costs for women who could not afford them, adding that beneficiaries who deliver at healthcare facilities may also receive delivery incentives and baby supplies.
Owosho said MamaBase currently operates in Lagos and was preparing to commence implementation in Kaduna State, while appealing to governments, corporate organisations and individuals to partner with the initiative to enable it to reach more communities.

She stressed that the success of community mobilisation efforts depended largely on the ability of healthcare facilities to provide quality services to women who were referred to them.
“We are working at the community and we are driving demand to the facilities. But when women come to the facilities and they are not able to get the care they need, it’s more or less like a wasted effort,” she said.
She therefore urged the government to keep primary healthcare facilities functional and adequately staffed to ensure that women who respond to sensitisation efforts receive appropriate care.

Also speaking, the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Coordinator for MamaBase, Chukwubuikem Ohia, said the local government was selected because of the presence of vulnerable communities requiring greater access to maternal healthcare.
Ohia said the programme was focused on helping mothers and babies reach full term safely, while ensuring that women received appropriate care during pregnancy, delivery and after childbirth.

He said the organisation had observed what he described as improvement in the community since it began engaging women through sensitisation and support.
Ohia called for increased government engagement and wider public education through conventional and digital media to encourage women to embrace antenatal care and skilled delivery.

He also urged individuals and organisations to support interventions aimed at discouraging women from relying solely on traditional practices when seeking maternal healthcare.
Representing Fidson Healthcare Plc., Adeola Ejiata said the company’s partnership with MamaBase was in line with one of its corporate social responsibility priorities, maternal healthcare.

Ejiata said Fidson had products that support women during pregnancy and after childbirth, some of which were being used by women reached through the MamaBase Programme.
She described the outreach as part of the company’s CSR activities and said the organisation would continue to support similar initiatives.
Ejiata, however, encouraged MamaBase to expand its activities to more underserved communities.

A community health practitioner involved in the programme, Bernard Mercy Imabong, said community health workers were central to the initiative because they reached women directly in their communities.

Imabong said he had worked with women in areas including Folu and Ilege, visiting them at their homes to educate them about the importance of registering for antenatal care and delivering at recognised healthcare facilities.
He said MamaBase had assisted some women with registration, screening and ultrasound costs, while community health workers continued to follow up with beneficiaries after delivery.

According to him, women who deliver through the programme also receive baby packs containing items such as diapers, towels and bathing supplies.
Imabong appealed to more individuals and organisations to support the programme, saying additional partnerships would enable it to reach more women.

Among the beneficiaries was Mrs Tajudeen Bukola, a trader and mother of two.
She testified on how MamaBase has provided for her needs through and offered her opportunity to experience a different approach to childbirth after she had delivered her first child at a herbal home.

Bukola said the programme followed up on her during her second pregnancy and assisted with healthcare expenses, including ultrasound scanning and delivery costs.
She said the experience had convinced her of the importance of seeking professional medical care during pregnancy and urged other pregnant women to use primary healthcare centres and government hospitals.

For another beneficiary, Mrs Salami Kehinde, MamaBase became a source of support after she fell ill during pregnancy.
Kehinde said a community health worker introduced her to the programme and advised her to visit the health centre, where she received treatment.

She said the programme subsequently assisted with her delivery and provided baby supplies, while continuing to monitor her and her baby after childbirth.
Kehinde urged pregnant women to avoid unregistered practitioners and seek care at recognised healthcare facilities.

Similarly, Mrs Nkiruka John, a first-time mother, said she received support throughout her antenatal period and assistance with some of her healthcare expenses.
John said the education and guidance she received also helped her understand how to care for herself and her baby during pregnancy.

The MamaBase Programme is designed to support indigent pregnant women by facilitating access to antenatal care, skilled delivery and postnatal services, while community health workers identify vulnerable women, link them to healthcare facilities and follow up with them throughout pregnancy.