Mozambique’s first lady, Maria da Luz Guebuza, is due to address the final review meeting of the “Vision 2010 Initiative”, currently under way in the Malian capital, Bamako.During the event Maria Guebuza will share Mozambique’s experiences and successes in the fight against maternal and neonatal mortality.Launched in 2001 in Bamako by a group of eight First Ladies from western and central Africa, Vision 2010 is an initiative aimed at reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in their countries by two thirds by 2010.The initiative, which now involves 15 First Ladies, will hear a detailed account from Maria Guebuza of the steps Mozambique is taking to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.Maria Guebuza was invited to the meeting because of Mozambique’s success in improving the health care of women and children.Mouzinho Saide, National Director of Public Health at Mozambique’s Ministry of Health, pointed out that the meeting seeks to raise awareness among African leaders on matters related to maternal and neonatal care in the continent. In Mozambique, maternal mortality is still high, with 408 women per 100,000 live births dying due to complications during delivery. However, this is a considerable improvement compared with the 1990s when the maternal mortality rate was 1,600 per 100 000 live births. As for neonatal mortality, it fell from 59 per 1000 live births to 37 per thousand live births in 2008.The First Lady is leading an initiative to cut the number of babies that die within the first week of their life. This initiative covers several simultaneous actions, including the Presidential Women's Health and Children Initiative, which was launched in 2008 and seeks to raise the awareness of community and religious leaders, and to mobilise resources from the public and private sector.As a result, Saide believes that Mozambique is in a better position to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.
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