Often, when children are spoken of, many people narrow their minds down to the young walking ages of between two-five years. However, it encompasses a wider group than this.

According to the World Health Organization, every year, an estimated 15 million babies are born preterm (before 37 completed weeks of gestation), and this number is rising. Preterm birth complications are the leading cause of death among children under five years of age, responsible for approximately one million deaths in 2015 alone.

Three-quarters of these deaths could be prevented with current, cost-effective interventions. Across 184 countries, the rate of preterm birth ranges from 5% to 18% of babies born. These facts are alarming and beg the need for someone out there to do something to save our future leaders and change-makers.

November each year is considered ‘World Prematurity Month’. This year, it was celebrated on 17th November under the theme ‘Zero Separation’, with the tagline ‘Act now! Keep parents and babies born too soon together’.

Babies, who are born prematurely, are admited to the Neonatal Intensive Care Units, popularly referred to as NICU. Here, they receive delicate care and attention to help them develop fully in a healthy and controlled environment. Although there have been several awareness campaigns in Ghana about preterm births, there seem to be more preterm babies than there are NICU’s. This particular challenge gets even worse when we consider the inadequate equipment at some of the already existing NICU centres.

Throughout November, an organization, known as NICU, Soldiers has partnered with the logistics arm of Africa’s leading e-commerce ecosystem Jumia and Fiona’s foods to raise funds for preterm babies on oxygen in a project dubbed #sconesforlife. The fundraiser is in the form of delivering scones and pies to generous people who buy them at higher amounts than their original costs just to support the project. Every Friday and Saturday, Jumia Logistics Ghana’s delivery agents send the scones/pie orders to these consumers at no cost of delivery.

On Friday 19th November 2021, NICU Soldiers together with Jumia Logistics Ghana and Fiona Foods also provided food to the nurses at the NICU unit of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and the media team at Peace FM for their support in helping save the lives of these preterm babies.

Over the past three weeks, quite a good number of scones have been delivered to consumers in Accra and Tema with the hope of selling more scones in the coming week. Organizers of this great initiative say that there will be many more projects like this to raise more funds for our future leaders.

According to the management of the department, the NICU has been without a water facility over the years, adding that, this has been a major issue affecting newborn babies and their mothers.

With the help of Mama Mariam’s foundation, there is a stable and potable water supply present in the NICU department.

Speaking after the donation, Miss Sinare said she was happy to contribute to the department’s endeavour to save lives of newborn babies and also happy to make work efficient for the staff 

“I must say I feel extremely happy doing this for my little angels,” she said.

She further explained that: “Water is life. This will give the department full water supply anytime; reducing infections in the NICU department and of course easy and effective flow of medical staff activities.”

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She congratulated staff at the NICU department of Tamale Teaching Hospital for their amazing works.

“You are doing extensively well. And your rewards are with the Almighty,” she added.

She expressed her thanks to God and the staff of the hospital for the privilege accorded her to be in a position to support the needs of the less-privileged in society.

A senior staff of the hospital, who supervised the installation of the water system from its inception, also thanked Ms Mariam for the kindhearted gesture and prayed for her to get more opportunities in life to be in a good position to help the needy in society.

The Foundation’s priority is to give love, give out and change lives. It also pursues a world where everyone in deprived areas across the country has the opportunity to good health, quality education, and aiding vocational skills.

The vision of the Foundation is to change the future by implementing sustainable programmes that will improve the reception to opportunities and lifesaving services.

She has four phenomenal values which include empowering others, development, activating leaders and compassion.

Mama Mariam Foundation is scheduling to roll out these life-changing projects; clean drinking water in the next year for the rural communities in the northern sector.

She urged people who want to support the foundation to do so through her social media handles and the Foundation’s website.