Health & Healthcare

The "Make5Happen" Operation is Launched - A Solidarity Chain to Train Midwives in Africa

May 25, 2017 12:05 PM ET
Campaign: Sanofi Espoir Foundation

For International Day of the Midwife 2017 on May 5, the Sanofi Espoir Foundation is supporting the "Make5Happen" operation organized by its partner the AMREF.

The aim of this operation

By March 2018, create a 5km chain of birth identification bracelets, about 66,000 in all, to support midwives in Africa and reduce the distance separating them from their patients.

To reduce maternal and infant mortality, the AMREF launched the international Stand Up for African Mothers campaign in 2011, which aims to train 15,000 midwives in Africa. Today #Make5Happen reinforces this initiative to send midwives to very remote areas and ensure equitable access to care for all.

How to participate in the #Make5Happen solidarity chain

For €1, customize a birth identification bracelet and attach it to the #Make5Happen solidarity chain. Log on to www.make5happen.fr to see where the nearest chain for you to attach your bracelet is located. All the chains will converge on Paris in March 2018 to form a single chain!

On the Make5Happen.fr site, meet Ana who lives nearly 10km from the nearest equipped health center. With your donations, contribute to midwifery training and allow Ana access to quality healthcare. And find out about maternal and child health in Africa while discovering artists who are rallying for #Make5Happen.

Why this operation

In sub-Saharan Africa, many pregnant women need to travel long distances in harsh conditions before finding a health facility that is properly equipped with trained personnel capable of aiding them during their pregnancy and childbirth.

Yet the WHO reckons that 5 km is the maximum acceptable distance between a population and a health center. Through its programs, the AMREF has set itself the task of making this distance a reality for mothers in Africa.

The Foundation has been partner to the AMREF since 2012 by supporting midwifery training projects in Africa.