Malawi: Mothers Tune-In to Healthier Lives

In a country where maternal and child mortality rates are among the highest in the world, a weekly radio program is turning up the volume on health awareness. Phukusi la Moyo, or Bag of Life, took to the airways in March of 2009 to educate new mothers and improve the survival rate of newborns.

Broadcast by Mudzi Wathu Community Radio in Malawi’s Mchinji District, a region particularly fraught with maternal and child health problems, the program uses interactive methods to encourage discussion and bring health education to light.

Currently, only half of Malawian women deliver their children in a health facility; prenatal care is equally underused, and just 31 percent of new mothers and children receive postnatal care.

Phukusi la Moyo has already proved worth a listen; women’s groups in Malawi are using the broadcasts to facilitate programs and develop skills among local women. Groups like MaiMwana Project (a local NGO dedicated to maternal and child health), the Story Workshop and the Commonwealth of Learning have joined the cause, encouraging women to tune in and take charge of their health. That’s news worth hearing.