PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION 2011 – HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - VALLETTA – MALTA
A collection of 10 photographs taken in Kenya by German photographer Carsten Luther were displayed in the House of Representatives from the 2nd until the 5th of May. All members of parliament and parliamentary committees were asked to view the photographic exhibition.
The photographs were taken on a study tour to Kenya earlier this year among when journalists from four European participating countries including the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and Malta. The overall objective of the exhibition is to influence opinion and enhance support decision makers as a key to reducing poverty by promoting safe motherhood and to reach Millennium Development Goal 5 by 2015.
MOTHER’S NIGHT 2011
Mother’s Night took place in Malta on May 23rd 2011. Approximately 60 people came out to support SOS Malta’s Mother’s Night which took place at Dar L-Ewropa,Valletta. The event launched the book ‘Meta L-Mkunga Twelled’. A book that takes readers on a journey to Mombasa, Kenya raising awareness on MDG 5 related issues and the important role the ‘Mkunga’ meaning ‘midwife’.
Present for the launch were Mrs Catherine Gonzi, wife of the Prime Minister, Mrs Michelle Muscat, wife of the Opposition Leader, Dr Julian Vassallo, Head European Parliament Office in Malta, Ambassador to Jordan, Mr Anthony Debono, members from the media, representatives from Women’s and other third sector organisations and the general public.
Attendees were presented with an SWL campaign folder with the four A4 double sided sheets making up the campaign Press/Information kit for 2011 and a copy of the book.
Ms Susan Vassallo Communications Officer on the SWL project introduced the Save Women’s Lives campaign and discussed the UNDP 2010 report ‘Assessing Progress in Africa toward the MDGs’ reminding the audience that 350,000 women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year. She announced that the goal of this year’s ‘Mothersnight event’ is to put a spotlight on this shocking statistic and to help fight social inequality worldwide through the launch of this photo journal/book, ’Meta L-Mkunga Twelled’. The audience were talked through a short PPT about Human Rights and Maternal Health. SOS Malta’s advocacy message 2011 was read out which stresses on the importance of how we all have a role to play in ensuring that women’s health is a priority. Maternal health is central to women’s overall health, and women’s health affects everyone: healthy women contribute to the health and well-being of their children, families, communities and nations. Women’s and girl’s health is a human right.
Mr Martin Bugelli, European Commission Head of Representation in Malta and Ms Doris Bingley, General Secretary of the National Council of Women Malta talked about the importance of the midwife who are key to reducing maternal and newborn mortality stressing on the fact that many women in sub-Saharan Africa give birth alone and without a skilled attendant such as a midwife and that there is no one to address the complications of child delivery or to advise a pregnant woman to seek more skilled care. Reminding everybody present that one in eight lives are claimed in this region during pregnancy and childbirth.
Ms Julia Farrugia the author of the book ‘Meta L-Mkung Twelled’, editor of the Maltese newspaper Illum and one of the two journalists who participated in the journalist study tour in Mombasa Kenya earlier this year talked about her experience in Mombasa, Kenya and her strong desire to raise awareness on what the SWL campaign is all about - MDG 5 related issues and the important role of the ‘Mkunga’ meaning ‘midwife’, where the idea to the photo/book journal came about.
Mothersnight - A Tribute To Mothers - Art Exhibition 2010 -
Follow up on Mother’s Night Malta, May 6, 2010
Mother’s Night took place in Malta on May 6th 2010. Approximately 300 people came out to support SOS Malta’s Mother’s Night which took place in the Pardo Hall, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Palazzo Parisio, Valletta. The event focused on raising public awareness ‘on the need to improve maternal health and to urge decision makers to continue funding initiatives that would ensure a healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth. Hundreds of thousands of women and newborns can be saved but this will not materialise unless governments and the international community continue to provide funding to provide essential services to pregnant mothers’.
The event itself consisted of an art exhibition where thirty local and foreign prominent artists exhibited their works of art which included oil paintings, watercolour, mixed media, etching/aquatints and sculptures to draw attention to challenges faced by mothers around the world, and to fight social inequality through an innovative communication system. The majority of works on display had woman hood and maternity as a theme, making for a variegated and pleasing experience that welcomed contemplation on the exhibition’s aims.
Guests were also shown a 30 minute documentary ‘Crying out for Development’ on the Millennium Development Goals, focusing on Millennium Development Goal 5. The documentary was produced by PBS (Malta’s public broadcasting company, responsible for the TVM television channel) for SOS Malta and was filmed on a recent fieldtrip to Uganda as part of the MEDIP project, a project SOS Malta was lead partner. MEDIP, funded by the European Commission in the framework of the thematic programme 'Non State Actors and Local Authorities in Development', aimed at sensitizing journalists and media within New EU Member States about development issues and the Millennium Development Goals, with the aim of giving exposure to areas of action which European Member States and civil society can assist with.
Attendees were presented with an SWL campaign folder with the three A4 double sided sheets making up the campaign information kit for 2010. The first sheet gives information on the Save Women’s Lives campaign and information on Mothersnight. The second sheet gives information on Millennium Development Goal 5 and facts about Teenage Pregnancy. The third sheet highlights certain measures that could be adopted within health systems to help make MDG 5 achievable and facts concerning adolescents.
Ms Claudia Taylor-East Director of SOS Malta introduced the Save Women’s Lives campaign and read out the Europe letter advocay message that was sent out to all the Maltese MEPs the following day. She also read out SOS Malta’s advocacy message stressing on the importance of making adolescents a priority by investing in their health, education and livelihoods. Increasing public awareness on MDG5 was not enough if each and every one of us is not committed to changing the hard fact that every minute, every day a woman dies of pregnancy related complications. Our message to all present was ‘Be Involved’.
Ms Anna Borg, Chairperson Malta Confederation of Women’s Organisations (MCWO) one of our local collaborators on the SWL project brought attention to the sobering reality of maternal mortality around the world, the need to improve maternal health and to urge decision makers to continue funding initiatives to provide essential services that would ensure a healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth. Her speech concluded by quoting Prof. Magdalena Abakanowics ( painter, sculptor and textile artist whose creativity is directed toward human being) who claimed that ‘Art does not solve problems but makes us aware of their existence. It opens our eyes to see and our brain to imagine’.
The Mothersnight Art Exhibition was open for viewing at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs for a further 5 days where SOS Malta staff was present to give information on the SWL project, raise awareness on MDG 5 issues and hand out SWL project material to visitors. The exhibition moved to Opus 64 Galerie, Sliema until 31st May 2010, where the gallery owner Ms Angela Tabone was there to answer any questions about the SWL project and to distribute SWL project material to visitors.
Mothersnight Event May 2009
Follow up on Mother’s Night Malta, May 6, 2009
Approximately 180 people came out to support SOS Malta’s Mother’s Night which took place on May 6, 2009 at Villa Arrigo.
The purpose of the evening was to raise awareness on the issues surrounding teenage pregnancy. This initiative was a part of the “Save Women’s Lives” campaign, a EuropeAid project focusing on Millennium Development Goal (MDG) #5, Improving Maternal Health.
The overall campaign is aimed at reducing the global maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015.
Mother’s Night focused on the key issue of teenage pregnancy, which is one of the many causes of maternal mortality around the world, especially in the developing world.
The event itself consisted of an African theme, including: Moroccan food, African music and South African wine.
Guests were presented with an introduction to the MDGs, with specific attention to MDG 5, a PPT presentation regarding safe motherhood in developing countries as one of the crucial Millennium Development Goals to reduce poverty by half by 2015 with a special focus on teenage pregnancy, topics and issues surrounding teenage pregnancy and the importance of educating youth on sexual health.
Ms. Claudia Taylor-East, Managing Director of SOS Malta introduced the first speaker of the evening, Ms. Joanna Drake, Head of Representation of the European Commission in Malta. Ms. Drake spoke of promoting healthy pregnancy and safe childbirth, of which is a goal of all European health systems. In addition, Ms. Drake spoke on diversity and cultural differences within Europe as a positive means on creating models for maternity and neonatal care. Along with an array of statistics on childbirth within Europe, Ms. Drake reiterated the importance of cooperation between health authorities and researchers which would enable data to be collected and fed into new policy initiatives.
The presentation ended by outlining the significance of providing information at a local level on how to provide safe pregnancies and births for women of all ages. Like other Member States, Ms. Drake expressed that Malta has particular cultural strengths in this area but there is also scope for improvement.
The second speaker of the evening was Ms. Maryanne Massa, the Principle Health Promotion Officer for the Department of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Ms. Massa addressed the need for Malta to have a comprehensive and effective Sexual Heath Education Program in place. Ms. Massa noted that worldwide research has shown that sexual health education is effective.
Countries that have strong sexual health programs in place, report much lower teenage pregnancies than that in Malta and without resorting to abortion. Ms. Massa also noted that adolescent boys and girls should be a primary focus, making sexual health education widely accessible and comprehensive.
Ms. Massa advised guests that The National Sexual Health Policy, together with an action plan, has now been presented to Parliament, of which is a milestone in itself. However, she also noted that Malta is still dragging its feet in assuming responsibility for Sexual Health and the local situation in this regard.
Following dinner, Ms. Arlette Vassallo, a fifth year medical student at the University of Malta addressed the implications of teenage pregnancy on young women, including the health of mother and child, psychological effects on young mothers and the socio-economical impacts on the individual and on the community.
Ms. Vassallo provided some very sobering statistics with respect to the high number of teenage girls who give birth to babies around the world, predominantly in developing countries. She also addressed the dangers faced by adolescent pregnancies, including lack of access to pre and post natal care, unsafe self induced abortions and other preventative conditions that lead to maternal death. Ms. Vassallo noted that young women who become pregnant often also face exclusion from their families and society.
Ms. Vassallo addressed the significance of reproductive health supplies for young people (youth-friendly clinics, VCTs, counseling, family planning services, contraceptives and CSE, etc.) and how young people should be increasingly involved in policy-making, program planning and the implementation of SRH projects.
The final speaker of the evening was Ms. Hedwig Bvumburah, Project Administrator with SOS Malta. Ms. Bvumburah spoke a bit about her own personal experience with respect to the Maternal Health/System in Zimbabwe in the 1990s and what it is now. Recent assessments of health facilities in Zimbabwe reveal that urgent attention needs to be focused on maternal health programs. According to a recent report**, even just ten years ago the maternal mortality rate in Zimbabwe was about 138 to 100 000 births. In 2005 that number had risen to 1100 out of 100 000 births. World Health Organization studies show a lack of maternal health programs, equipment and medical treatment to those women in the poorest and most remote areas of Zimbabwe and throughout the developing world. All of these factors, and many others, contribute to an unacceptably high maternal mortality rate. Ms. Bvumburah’s speech highlighted the importance of achieving Millennium Development Goal 5, improving maternal health and reducing the maternal mortality rate by three quarters by 2015.
Overall, the event proved to be a success. Among guests, two MEP Candidates were present, along with representatives from Libertas Malta. There was also a strong representation of the Immigrant community for the event. Representatives were also present from PBS and various print media to cover the event.
It appeared that some of the topics, such as abortion and the need for a sexual health policy (specifically geared toward teenage sexual activity and pregnancy) were controversial. However, SOS Malta, and the Save Women’s Lives Campaign aims to deal with the issues at hand by creating awareness and solutions to improve general maternal health in the developing world, rather than turning a blind eye to issues that affect us all.
**“Health in Ruins – A man made disaster in Zimbabwe” – Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), January 2009
Please go to the following letter written by one of the guests at the event: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090517/letters/contraceptive-mentality
Please Visit SOS Malta Website & Join our Facebook group (Save Women's Lives - Malta)
