Announcing this year’s recipient for the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity
The award recognizes a community-based organization working for safer and more equitable maternal health care
Though maternal mortality has declined globally over the past decade, there are many communities that continue to have unmet medical and social needs around pregnancy and childbirth. We are proud to support innovative solutions to help create a world where no person has to die while giving life through our #MSDforMothers initiative.
Thankfully, visionary leaders and community-based organizations across the world are working with us to forge a path to more equitable maternal health care and to make pregnancy and childbirth safer.
In recognition of these efforts, in 2021 we launched the Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity, an annual grant awarded to an organization making progress towards more equitable, high-quality maternal health care. This grant was created in recognition of the legacy and commitment to maternal health by Kenneth C. Frazier, executive chairman of our company’s board and former CEO. The inaugural award in 2021 was bestowed upon Sinergias in Colombia.
This year, we’re thrilled to announce the 2022 recipient of the award is Mali Health.
Based in Mali’s capital city, Bamako, Mali Health seeks to help people define their health priorities and help develop local solutions to address them. They identify barriers that prevent women and children from accessing quality health care in their region and develop and implement solutions to address those barriers. Mali Health’s comprehensive program helps women prepare for birth by connecting them to health information, to midwives at their health centers, and to each other. With this award, Mali Health will extend its impact by deepening community-led approaches.
Selecting a finalist for this year’s Kenneth C. Frazier award was a difficult job for the MSD for Mothers team with support from the employee ambassadors who volunteered to help review the many deserving submissions. “This award is valuable as it can change the course of womens’ lives, making it possible to have their babies in good health,” noted Regina Kopp, legal & compliance senior manager, Office of General Counsel, MSD in Brazil and MSD for Mothers employee ambassador.
“The granting of the Kenneth C Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity to Mali Health amplifies our commitment to advancing health equity on the continent and further affirms the invaluable role that partnerships play in health systems strengthening and the betterment of our communities. We look forward with great excitement the incredible possibilities that this award will unlock not only for the organisation, but society at large” Zweli Bashman, Managing Director Sub Saharan Africa.
We are proud to continue to amplify solutions that promote equitable access to high quality maternal health for all and are honored to support Mali Health’s important work.
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