10 minutes with: Adepeju Jaiyeoba, maternity campaigner
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Version 0 of 1. Tell us a little bit about what you do. I run a social venture, the Brown Button Foundation, which produces delivery kits containing sterile supplies to be used at childbirth in Africa. More than 60% of births in most developing countries happen at home due to the distances to health facilities and lack of access to skilled health care practitioners. In most rural communities where a large percentage of women live, access to sterile equipment is an additional problem. Our aim is to eradicate maternal and infant deaths in Nigeria, as well as promote women’s sexual and reproductive rights. How did you get into this current line of work? I was motivated by the death of a close friend who died in childbirth in 2011, as well as the death of a sister of another close friend. According to UNICEF, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-5 year olds and 145 women of childbearing age yearly from complications associated with pregnancy or childbirth. The data is shocking but having a personal connection to this issue makes you realise that these aren’t just figures, they represent real people. We started off training birth attendants in rural communities but after meeting a baby infected with tetanus as a result of a rusty blade being used we decided to take action and solve this problem. We started distributing delivery kits in 2013 and so far we have distributed over 11,000. We have also trained over 8,000 birth attendants to date, who have also gone on to train others in their community. What has been the highlight of your career? The highlight of my career is being recognised by President Barack Obama in his speech at the Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders Presidential Summit in 2014. It was wonderful to hear him call my name, thank me for the wonderful work we are doing for women and children and encouraging us to do even more. Such words of encouragement, as well as seeing the smiles on the faces of women and their babies, continues to fuel our passion. What needs to happen to help young women in Nigeria lead better lives and achieve even more? We need good governance that puts women at the centre of its policies, and is seen to defend and enforce these policies. We need an enabling environment that supports women at home, in the workplace and in public spheres. We must also invest in healthcare; the Brown Button Foundation campaigns for Nigeria to adopt the ‘4S plan’; an improved community service, healthcare service, referral service and justice support services. You’ve been through a career change, how did you make the decision to take the leap and what have been the hardest and best bits about it? The key thing for me is the passion fuelled by my personal connection to this issue. The pain and the agony on the faces of families who have lost loved ones and their babies at childbirth continues to be a motivating factor for me to help put an end to these deaths to the best of my ability. The hardest part of this for me is the helplessness my team feels when we hear about a new death or case in communities we are yet to reach. The best part of it is receiving phone calls from women thanking us for aiding their clean and safe delivery. I was also proud to be recognised as a “young innovator” at this year’s World Innovation Summit for Health, a gathering of key policy makers and health experts from around the world. I hope that being able to share our ideas will inspire others to act, as well as prompt governments to recognise the need for better provision of services for maternal and paediatric care in the developing world. What advice would you give to other young women just starting out on their career? When I wanted to start out, I shared my idea with a friend who discouraged me and told me the vision was to no end and purpose. This stopped me for two months before I reignited my passion and did what I really wanted to do. Many times, people will tell you it is impossible, it can’t be done, you are too small or too inconsequential to make change happen. Look them in the face and show them just how to do it. No one said it’s going to be easy, the only assurance is that the difficult times won’t last forever. Never give up on your passion, follow your dreams, keep lighting up the world. |