Mollel promoting the preterm babies agenda on a global scale

Dar es Salaam. The Doris Mollel Foundation has met and held talks with Africa Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to look into the possibility of incorporating preterm babies’ issues into the United Nations calendar with the aim of ensuring that their rights are addressed.

The foundation executive officer Ms Doris Mollell met with director of Africa- CDC Dr Ahmed Ogwell Ouma in Geneva Switzerland at the sidelines of 75 meetings among other issues and agreed to champion the preterm babies.

 "I am very happy to meet with the director who appreciates what we have been doing in supporting these babies he has told us that it is possible but we need to have more discussion. So for me it's a big step because there is a knowledge gap but if we will celebrate that means people will understand and start to ask the causes and other things related," she said.

She said “If we have World Bees Day, why not premature babies who contribute up to 40 percent of neonatal deaths in our countries, we have all the right facts especially it being one among the leading causes of death of under-five babies. According to WHO there are 15 million babies born prematurely every year,”

Ms Mollel said if the preterm babies were incorporated in UN calendars that means more people will support the campaign of making sure the vulnerable groups get the right to live and not due to lack of equipment.

She said in the world if more than 125 countries in the world commemorate this day, by doing so UNICEF will sensitize other countries to mark the day and budget will be set aside and people will ask the causes and ultimately the number of children born prematurely will decline.