Over 1 million women and children in Somalia to benefit from $9m Swedish aid

by | May 25, 2021 | Okategoriserade | 0 comments

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Source: Hiiraan Online, Tuesday May 25, 2021

MOGADISHU (HOL) –  The Swedish government has announced $9 million to support child and maternal health in Somalia.

According to a statement from the Swedish embassy in Mogadishu, the support which is in partnership with UNICEF targets over one million children and women  in Somalia to access improved health services and reduce child and maternal deaths.

“Children deserve to have a healthy start in life and to grow up in a safe environment where their protection rights are upheld,” said Ambassador Staffan Tillander, the Swedish Ambassador to Somalia. “This funding will strengthen access to essential health and protection services and underscores Sweden’s long-term commitment to improving the lives of Somali women and children.” 

Ads By GoogleThe funds will also boost the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination which is currently at 40% uptake. Somalia has since received 300,000 doses from the global Covax programme.

“It is critical that we scale up the COVID-19 vaccination campaign to reach the most vulnerable populations and frontline workers in Somalia. The fight against COVID-19 is a global one and part of this funding will help support UNICEF and WHO to speed up the vaccination effort so that the second wave of COVID-19 is contained,” added the Ambassador.

UNICEF acting country representative Jester Moller hailed the contribution noting it will go a long way in improving   child health in Somalia.

“UNICEF is extremely grateful to the Government of Sweden for this generous contribution,” said Jesper. “Every child has a right to health and protection. This multi-year funding provides us with the much-needed opportunity to work harder on long-term solutions and do more to keep Somali children and their families healthy and safe especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Somalia has one of the highest child and maternal mortality rates in the world recording 732 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births.