A report published by Save the Children has ranked 5 African countries as the worst place to be a mother.
In a report released by the organization on global motherhood rankings, save the children said the 10 worst places to be a mother were all found to be sub-Saharan African countries, nine of which are currently embroiled in conflict.
Somalia ranked as the worst country, just below the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.
These are the 5 worst countries to be a mother
- Somalia
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- The Central African Republic
- Mali
- Niger
The best 5 countries to be a mother were ranked as follows.
- Norway
- Finland
- Iceland
- Denmark
- Sweden
One woman in 18 in Somalia will eventually die in childbirth, while one in 20 will die in Niger. One child in seven in Somalia, Chad and the Central African Republic will not live to see his or her 5th birthday according to the Save the children report.
While the conditions in which many of the world’s children live are grim, about 17,000 fewer children die daily versus 25 years ago.
And the number of children who die before their 5th birthday has been cut almost in half, from 90 to 46 deaths per 1,000 live births.
Norway was named to be the best country in the world for mothers as are most Scandinavian countries.
In cities across countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Peru, Vietnam and Zimbabwe, poor children were found to be three to five times more likely to die than their affluent peers.
It was in these poorest of urban conditions that mothers and children were also found to be most deprived of lifesaving healthcare.
The index, released by the children’s rights organization on Monday, rates 179 countries based on five indicators related to maternal health, education, income levels and the status of women.
Despite this grim picture there are African countries that have managed to make mothers feel safer and happy in reproductive matters. Expectant mothers in Rwanda have access to an ambulance and care until when they are ready for delivery. After all Rwanda is said to be the happiest country in Africa isn’t it?
