McCann Health's Partner in Furthering Women's and Children's Health Addresses Global Midwives Group as Its First Goodwill Ambassador

NEW YORK, June 5, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Her Excellency Toyin Saraki, former First Lady of Kwara State, Nigeria, and Founder-President of Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WFA) this week undertook her role as the inaugural Global Goodwill Ambassador of the International Conference of Midwives (ICM) by emphasizing the importance of partnerships in advocating for maternal, newborn, and reproductive healthcare. Speaking this week to the more than 3,000 delegates attending ICM's 30^th Annual Congress in Prague, Her Excellency Mrs. Saraki underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in advancing health initiatives by quoting the African proverb, "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." 

Commending HE Mrs. Saraki's appointment at ICM, McCann Health CEO John Cahill said, "With over 800 women dying each day from preventable causes linked to pregnancy, innovative partnerships such as the one we've created with the Kwara State Government in Nigeria, the Wellbeing Foundation, and others will be absolutely critical to accelerate progress toward achieving the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals." 

HE Mrs Saraki, who founded WFA as one of her many global and regional public health initiatives, commented in response, "I am so pleased with the work we are doing with McCann Health to promote the importance of bringing private sector marketing and advertising expertise to the world of maternal and children's health.  We must do better to ensure our women seek out the care that they need and that they deliver their children in safe and secure environments.  I see great value in the kind of partnership we have created with McCann Health, and I look forward to seeing this model transform the way we approach communications throughout Africa."

The Wellbeing Foundation Africa is an important public health partner of McCann Health's in promoting maternal and child wellbeing and health.  McCann Health along with the Wellbeing Foundation, and through agreements with the Kwara State government of Nigeria, are working toward new and innovative approaches to create demand for health care products and services, and to ensure pregnancy and childbirth are safe.   Through her charity, Mrs. Saraki is an advocate for the wellbeing of mothers, babies and small children and has transformed some areas of maternal care in Nigeria, her home country.

About McCann Health: Comprising the world's most connected health and wellness experts, McCann Health is the most awarded professional and consumer health communications network with the largest international expertise spanning 35 countries and 57 offices. McCann Health's global network includes McCann HumanCare, McCann Healthcare, McCann Regan Campbell Ward, McCann Torre Lazur-- as well as the leading worldwide medical communications practice, McCann Complete Medical. McCann Health is a part of McCann Worldgroup, the largest marketing communications agency network in the world, and is a leading healthcare agency network and part of Interpublic Group [NYSE: IPG].

About The Wellbeing Foundation: The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) is a leading frontline African maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) empowerment organization, dedicated to transforming the lives of women and children through advocacy and action. WBFA achieves this goal through strategic partnerships which engage local and international stakeholders, while providing practical support interventions and tools such as the WBFA IMNCH Personal Health Record^©. Committed to health, education, women's empowerment and social welfare, WBFA was founded by Her Excellency Mrs. Toyin Saraki in 2003, and is committed to the UN's Every Woman Every Child effort, diverse multi-sector initiatives, and advocacy campaigns including the WBFA 24-7-365 Millennium Development Goals Countdown to 2015 campaign.  While advocating on MNCH issues across the African continent, the Wellbeing Foundation Africa is headquartered in Nigeria and directly operates in both Ghana and Uganda.

SOURCE McCann Health