World Humanitarian Day honours efforts of humanitarians all over the world and advocates for the bravery of supporting people especially in times of crises.
As the world’s population increases, with limited resources, humanitarian efforts become indispensable especially in times of crises. People all over the world may need help in one form or the other and at one point in time or the other. Humanitarianism is imperative and indispensable.
This year’s World Humanitarian Day celebrates women humanitarians and their undying contributions in making the world a better place. Women humanitarians are unique as they show to the world the depth of their strength, power and most obviously, their love.
On this day, we would like to celebrate one of our champions who in diverse ways play the role of a humanitarian. Linda Baako is a staff midwife at the Maternity Unit of Mpohor Health Centre entrusted with the responsibility of delivering babies, providing antenatal and postnatal advice, care and support to women, their babies, partners and families.
As part of her responsibilities and with the implementation of the Bridging Gaps; Innovate for Malaria project, she educates pregnant women on how to protect themselves from malaria and seek appropriate medication in the event of malaria detection. Through this community education on malaria; its prevention and cure, the attitudes of patients who attend the health facility especially pregnant women has changed. Linda says that previously, pregnant women who attended the health facility did not want to take the Sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) which is an intermittent preventive treatment of malaria during pregnancy. Their reason for refusing to take these SPs was that it was difficult to take. Following her rigorous community education on the importance of the SPs and why it was necessary for pregnant women to take, the pregnant women who visit the health facility now request for the SP; thereby protecting themselves and their unborn babies from malaria.
Further, her community education on the usage of Insecticide Treated Nets (ITNs) has caused an improvement in the usage by her community members especially pregnant women. Linda’s home visit to these pregnant women shows they have fixed the ITNs in their rooms, thereby protecting themselves and their unborn babies.
Linda Baako and others, who strive in their daily work roles to ensure the safety of their communities are worth celebrating on this day!
