A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) specialising in the provision of health services, mothers2mothers (m2m), disclosed on Wednesday that the organisation is targeting 5, 000 clients in Nigeria by December 2024.
Speaking at the official launch of m2m in the country in Abuja, the President of mothers2mothers, Frank Beadle de Paloma, said since “we started our operations here in Nigeria in July, we have deployed 15 mentor mothers across five facilities and surrounding communities in the Federal Capital Territory.
“Already, their impact is being felt. We set a target to enrol 5,000 clients into our services by December 31, and I am proud to share that we have already enrolled over 3,000.
“We are already planning our next steps. I am pleased to share that we have just trained a new cohort of 30 Mentor Mothers who have recently started working in 21 additional sites”.
He explained that the organisation’s aim is to eradicate diseases, particularly HIV transmission from mother to child, as well as reduce the maternal mortality rate in Nigeria.
“We calculate that we have helped to keep over three million at-risk women and children alive. And we have done this while creating over 12,000 jobs for African women.
“These numbers are a source of pride, but it is the lives behind the numbers—women and families who now have the knowledge, resources, and confidence to lead healthier, thriving lives—our clients—they inspire our work every day.
“What I truly believe sets mothers2mothers apart from other peer-based models is combining this power of shared experience with the investment and support we provide for our frontline health workers.
“First, all of our frontline team are paid a fair salary. It is not a stipend or an allowance; it is a salary. Secondary, we provide robust training and supportive supervision to help our team deliver maximum impact”.
Paloma stated further that “we invest further through cutting-edge digital tools and supplies. These investments deliver fantastic returns.
“We have a proven ability to retain clients; we serve in care for the long term—m2m’s retention rates far exceed global benchmarks.
“In 2023, 97% of m2m clients were still in care and on treatment at 12 months, compared to a global retention benchmark of 74%. Even over longer periods, retention remained high, with 95% at 18 months and 92% at 24 months.
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“Our own data have been backed up by peer-reviewed research studies in Malawi and Uganda, which confirmed that m2m’s interventions led to significantly better long-term retention for our enrolled clients compared to standard health services, demonstrating the effectiveness of our model.
“Alongside this ability to keep people in care, we also have a proven ability to deliver high-quality services. We consistently meet all of the UNAIDS 95-95 targets for our enrolled clients, improving the lives of women and families and allowing a new generation to start life HIV-free.”.
Said that Nigeria is facing the challenge of combating HIV. “Currently, just 34% of women receive HIV treatment and care services.
“Nigeria’s maternal mortality rate is 512 per 100,000 live births, seven times higher than the 2030 SDG target. Meanwhile, the under-5 mortality rate is 104 per 1,000, four times the SDG target.
“Behind these statistics are real families suffering because of preventable death or illness. I am sure we will all agree that there is an urgent need to expand access to essential healthcare, particularly for mothers and young children,” he noted.
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