By Stephanie Lynn Bowen, Senior Communications Manager for MAMA
Nine-month old Sumaya is all smiles thanks in part to the Mobile Alliance for Maternal Action, known as MAMA.
MAMA is an innovative public-private partnership that delivers vital health information to new and expectant mothers through mobile phones. MAMA’s program in Bangladesh just reached 500,000 subscribers after launching 18 months ago.
One of these subscribers is Sumaya’s mother, 22-year-old Mahamuda, who is learning how to care for Sumaya from twice-weekly messages and the help of a counseling line. Through these services, she’s learned what types of food she should feed her daughter and what to do when she gets sick.
Why are these services so essential? Around the world, nearly 800 women die every day because of complications from pregnancy or childbirth and approximately 18,000 children die every day before the age of 5, largely from preventable causes. Putting health information in the palm of a mama’s hand can help keep her family healthy and happy.
Learn more about MAMA’s work in Bangladesh in a new report and follow @mamaglobal on Twitter.
Photo credit: Saikat Mojumder