First Lady Mama Margaret Kenyatta on Monday held talks with visiting Sierra Leonean counterpart Fatima Maada Bio during which they discussed several subjects of mutual interest.
The First Ladies discussed the various campaigns they’re involved in in Kenya and Sierra Leone touching on the promotion of the wellbeing and welfare of women, children and vulnerable groups.
At the meeting held shortly after President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady Fatima Maada Bio were officially received at State House, Nairobi, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta took her visitor through the achievements of her Beyond Zero initiative as captured in the organization’s current strategic plan.
Through Beyond Zero, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has been at the forefront in advocating for the welfare of women and children through interventions aimed at ending maternal and child deaths as well as elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and Syphilis.
On the other hand, Mrs Fatima Maada Bio leads a campaign against gender based violence in her country dubbed “Hands off Our Girls” which she launched in December 2018.
The campaign seeks to create awareness, influence policy and support women and girls to access reproductive healthcare and treatment for diseases such as fistula and cancer as well as eliminate early childhood marriages, gender based violence and rape.
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta said Beyond Zero had contributed to the reduction in cases of maternal and child mortality in Kenya by promoting access to quality maternal and neonatal healthcare.
Shortly after the State House meeting, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta took her visitor to Funhomes, Funkidz and The Nyungu in Lavington where they sampled the social enterprise’s products.
Funhomes, Funkidz and The Nyungu is involved in the production of authentic African products among them décor fabric, shawls, kitchenware and kids’ furniture.
The items are made by a group of disadvantaged and vulnerable women drawn from Nairobi’s informal settlements mostly from Korogocho slum.
Source: President Republic of Kenya