By Yakubu LAAH InvestAdvocate
Lagos (INVESTADVOCATE)-Nigeria’s top tier lender said on Wednesday its W Initiative is partnering with Business Direct and Services on the Audrey Pack project in Nigeria to empower expectant and nursing mothers, a statement from the bank affirmed.
The bank says the project is focused on the reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality.
“Every single day, Nigeria loses about 2,300 under-five year olds and 145 women of childbearing age. This makes the country the second largest contributor to the under–five and maternal mortality rate in the world,” according to UNICEF Nigeria.
The Audrey Pack is a free co-branded bag distributed to expectant and new moms in government and private hospitals nationwide. It contains free products samples from multi-nationals, antenatal and healthcare information and of course, information on managing family finances.
According to the lender, its W initiative will be liaising with both private and government owned hospitals to deliver free Audrey packs to expectant and new mothers. “Specifically, there will be educative sessions where women will be equipped with resources to help them make informed choices before, during and after pregnancy,” Access Bank added.
The bank says in addition, the project is also poised to provide access to better health care services with the Maternal Health Service Support (MHSS) which is specially designed to support women and families with easy and convenient options to pay for medical expenses.
Ope Wemi-Jones the group head of inclusive banking at Access Bank affirmed that the W initiative is the home for everything the bank offers to women and transcends just a banking relationship. “It is our approach to banking women based on our understanding of their financial and lifestyle needs. In the quest to support access to quality health care, the Bank introduced the first of its kind Maternal Health Service Support (MHSS) which provides affordable financing options for medical procedures peculiar to women. This includes IVF procedures, Natal care, Myomectomies, Hysterectomies, and specialized Surgeries amongst others,” she said.
Wemi-Jones also disclosed that the recipients of the Audrey Pack can benefit from the unique offerings of the W Initiative which includes access to women around the world through the W community, the No 1 online interactive platform designed to Inspire, Connect and Empower women.
At the close of today’s business on the Nigerian equities market share price of Access Bank fell 0.17 percent losing 0.01 kobo per share.
