Maternal health : the Fondation Pierre Fabre and Aminata Maternal Foundation are joining forces

06/03/2025

The Fondation Pierre Fabre and Aminata Maternal Foundation are joining forces to improve maternal health in Sierra Leone, with a special focus on caring for teenage mothers.

Staying true to their respective missions aimed at improving access to quality healthcare for vulnerable communities, the Fondation Pierre Fabre and Aminata Maternal Foundation have announced their partnership. By working together, they hope to provide greater support for young mothers in Sierra Leone, which is one of the most dangerous places on earth to give birth, with an acute shortage of maternal healthcare professionals: fewer than 800 midwives and 10 gynecologists for a population of nearly 8 million people.

Founded in 2014 by Aminata Conteh-Biger, Aminata Maternal Foundation works to reduce infant and maternal mortality in Sierra Leone by providing medical, educational and social support to vulnerable young mothers. Through its flagship “Dream Girls” program, based at the Aberdeen Women’s Center in Freetown, Aminata Maternal Foundation helps pregnant teenagers affected by extreme poverty. The program provides them with a safe place in which to give birth, along with psychosocial care. It also teaches them about reproductive health and responsible parenting and offers a pathway back to a place in the community, either by developing income-generating activities or returning to school or work, depending on each girl’s needs.

The partnership took shape after an initial exploratory mission led by the Fondation Pierre Fabre with Aminata Maternal Foundation in Sierra Leone in April 2024. That visit allowed them to identify common approaches and objectives, such as growing the “Dream Girls” program and extending its reach to include rural communities. The Fondation Pierre Fabre will provide Aminata Maternal Foundation with financial and technical support to help it adapt its innovative model in areas outside Freetown, with the goal of improving the health of more young girls and women in the rural areas and empowering them to become independent.

Béatrice Garrette, Executive Director of the Fondation Pierre Fabre, stated:
“Since 2018, the Fondation Pierre Fabre has made healthcare for vulnerable women a priority. We are delighted to join forces with Aminata Maternal Foundation, whose dedication to improving lives in Sierra Leone is inspiring. This partnership gives us the chance to be involved in an ambitious, essential project for highly vulnerable young mothers, alongside Aminata Conteh-Biger and her team.”

Aminata Conteh-Biger, Founder and CEO of Aminata Maternal Foundation, added:
“This partnership with the Fondation Pierre Fabre is a precious opportunity to step up and develop our initiatives to support young girls and women in Sierra Leone. Together, we can provide long-term solutions to save lives and improve healthcare for mothers and their newborns.”

For the Fondation Pierre Fabre, this initiative is perfectly aligned with its overall strategy of improving healthcare for vulnerable communities, already in action in several countries in Africa as well as Lebanon and Asia.

Credits:

– UNFPA Sierra Leone: Aminata Conteh-Biger
– Dream Girls at Aberdeen Women’s Centre: Patrick Moran