The leadership summit scheduled at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, will bring together over 1,000 participants from the National and County Governments and non-State actors including officials from the Beyond Zero campaign/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 11 – Beyond Zero partners will on Tuesday hold a one-day summit to take stock over the successes and challenges of the four-year initiative.
First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, who is the patron of the initiative, will be the Guest of Honour at the summit whose other objectives include the presentation of awards to different categories of people and corporates for exemplary contribution to maternal health, neonatal, child and adolescents’ health at the county level.
The leadership summit scheduled at the Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, will bring together over 1,000 participants from the National and County Governments and non-State actors including officials from the Beyond Zero campaign.
The overall objective of the summit is to serve as a platform for leaders to reflect on the achievements and missed opportunities on maternal, neonatal, child and adolescents health targets over the last four years.
The participants will be required to re-assess their obligations and re-affirm their commitment to support the country in attaining relevant health targets.
The Beyond Zero campaign is an initiative by the First Lady to aid in the health problems of mothers, neonates, children and adolescents from across the country
BZ Foundation was launched in January 2014 to partner with the government in reducing maternal and child mortality.
The program is part of the initiatives outlined in the First Lady’s strategic framework towards HIV control, promotion of maternal, new born and child health in Kenya.
To-date the campaign has generated momentum towards community health actions as well as complementing county health actions to accelerate the reduction of maternal and new-born deaths.
The initiative has also distributed 47 fully-kitted mobile clinics across the country to compliment respective county efforts towards access to health services especially among marginalized and under-served populations including women, girls and children.
Additionally, the campaign seeks to catalyze the creation of platforms and vibrant partnerships that inspire leadership and accountability on HIV, maternal and child health commitments.
The campaign has been successful largely due to the First Lady’s passion and commitment to mobilize resources locally and abroad through strategic events such as the First Lady’s Half Marathons (FLHM).
The First Lady has also utilized her strategic position to address HIV, maternal and child health and their causes such as cancer and nutrition issues at the global, regional and national platforms.
Beyond Zero Campaign has also leveraged on county advocacy initiatives through the respective Governors’ spouses.
The summit is expected to draw new commitment to action from the leaders indicating their dedication to provide leadership and prioritize resources for the elimination of mother to child Transmission (eMTCT) of HIV-AIDS within the 2016-2012 framework.
The participants will be asking themselves why the country continues to experience high maternal mortality from preventable causes and increasing HIV/AIDs prevalence among adolescents despite previous high level commitments to tame these challenges.
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