Malawi, BLM honoured in Ethiopia
Malawi and Banja La Mtsogolo (BLM) were on Friday decorated as an outstanding country and organisation respectively with the Excellence in Leadership (Excell) in family planning awards.
The two got the awards at this year’s International Family Planning Conference which was held from November 12 to 15 2013 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The Excell awards look towards the future of family planning by recognising and acknowledging individuals, organisations and countries worldwide who are leading the way forward in family planning. The awards celebrate achievements, highlight best practices, and engender both a meaningful dialogue and a sense of healthy competition within the global family planning community.
BLM country director Nicky Mathews said Malawi and BLM has always committed themselves to improving family planning hence the awards.
“Malawi was chosen clearly because of its strong policy and commitment to family planning which has seen programmes thrive, especially increasing access to and modern contraceptive methods and services and as BLM, we are happy to play our part to that developing story,” said Mathews.
Ministry of Health spokesperson Henry Chimbali said government is overwhelmed with the award because it shows that Malawi is making progress in family planning.
“This is a good development for Malawi considering that we are coming from a background where family planning was not prioritised. But now, this good news means that we are dedicating our efforts towards the promotion of family planning. These awards will encourage government to increase its commitment towards family planning,” said Chimbali.
About 4 000 family planning experts, governments, organisations and technocrats from all over the world attended this third global conference on family planning under the theme Full Access, Full Choice.
