The Independent spotlights Sierra Leone’s push to scale prenatal vitamins 

An article in The Independent describes Helen Keller Intl’s work to improve maternal health in Sierra Leone through a powerful, comprehensive prenatal vitamin.  

In collaboration with Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Health and in partnership with community leaders across the country, Helen Keller has supported the national scale-up of multiple micronutrient supplementation. These prenatal supplements include 15 essential vitamins and minerals proven to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies by reducing the risks of stillbirth, anemia, low birth weight, and pre-term births. 

Today, expectant mothers across Sierra Leone can receive these powerful prenatal vitamins at their local community health posts, where they also receive nutrition counseling and prenatal care throughout their pregnancy.  

Here is an excerpt:  

Umu Hawa Jalloh, who leads programming in Sierra Leone for the humanitarian organization Helen Keller Intl, which has been assisting with the roll-out of [multiple micronutrient supplements], says officials from Kenya and Cambodia have visited to see how the program was integrated into the health system, as governments elsewhere consider making the same switch.  

One of the biggest lessons was bringing communities into the program from the start, Jalloh adds, including community health workers, religious leaders, traditional healers, and local women’s groups. 

Health workers have also reported seeing fewer cases of anemia and pregnancy complications, as well as healthier-looking babies. “The babies have this pinkish skin that is really attractive to the mothers,” Jalloh says. “When others see the baby, they are so curious, like: ‘Oh, this is working. We can’t wait to get our babies like this.’” 

Sierra Leone is a global leader in expanding access to these prenatal vitamins, becoming the first lower-middle-income country in Africa to fully integrate them into its health system.  

At the World Health Assembly in May, Sierra Leone joined Ministers of Health from Rwanda, Nigeria, and Pakistan in a public commitment to integrate multiple micronutrient supplementation into their national prenatal systems. Today, more than 30 other countries are exploring integrating the supplement into their health systems. 

Globally, one in five pregnant women is nutritionally at risk. Fortunately, this daily, prenatal multivitamin can make a world of difference in supporting a healthy pregnancy by filling nutritional gaps.  

With your support, Helen Keller partners with ministries of health and community health workers to bring these powerful prenatal supplements to mothers across Asia and Africa.  

Read the article here: How a small supplement pill could stop mothers dying during childbirth around world