Monrovia – The Lutheran Church in Liberia has intensified a campaign to educate pregnant women on the importance of their babies’ safety.
The campaign called “Big Belly Business” is covering nine communities in Bong County with support from the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH).
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Insight in Monrovia recently the Program Manager, Sue Laymouth, said there are several problems that are confronting pregnant women throughout Liberia that need to be immediately addressed.
She named domestic violence, neglect, mental disorder, malaria, as well as lack of balanced diets as key issues that pregnant women encounter on a daily basis.
“There are several problems confronting women with pregnancy.”
“Some of them are suffering from mental disorder because their fiancées disowned their pregnancies. Some don’t have balanced diet, while some are suffering mental disorder,” she said.
She said the women have also been educated on the use of mosquito nets so as to prevent malaria, which is affecting many pregnant women.
Ms Laymouth said the LCL trained big belly brothers and sisters to educate them with respect to these basic issues, from a manual prepared by OSIWA and partners.
According to her, the pregnant women have been grouped into clubs in the nine communities for education purposes.
“Our big belly brothers and sisters let them to know that their babies need to be born in hospitals or at health centers.
They need to be fed with good food. We also taught them about family planning especially those young ones that need to go back to school,” she noted.
Ms Laymouth further stated that the awareness has brought more pregnant women into the program.
She noted that some pregnant women are usually laughed at by others in the communities and as a result, they don’t want to be known.
Madam Laymouth has therefore called for the extension of the awareness campaign to other counties.