On April 7, 2025, in Katima Mulilo, Zambezi region, Namibia launched a year-long campaign, in commemoration of World Health Day. Under the theme Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures, the campaign aims to strengthen health systems and enhance service delivery to reduce maternal and child deaths. By focusing on improving healthcare access, training, and infrastructure, the initiative seeks to ensure that every mother and child in Namibia has the opportunity for a healthy and hopeful future.

Globally, nearly 300,000 women die due to pregnancy or childbirth-related complications, while over 2 million babies lose their lives within their first month, and approximately 2 million more are stillborn. This translates to roughly one preventable death every seven seconds, underscoring the urgent need for concerted global efforts to improve maternal and child health.

Dr. Richard Banda, the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Namibia, emphasized that the theme for World Health Day 2025 marks the beginning of a crucial year-long campaign aimed at reinforcing the rights of every woman and child to survive and thrive.

During the event, Dr. Banda presented the latest Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) estimates and commended Namibia for its progress in reducing maternal mortality from more than 400 deaths per 100,000 live births in the year 2000 to 139. However, he acknowledged that Namibia still faces challenges in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1 target of reducing MMR to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. "This serves as a critical wake-up call for Namibia, WHO, and other key partners to intensify efforts to reduce the MMR and achieve the SDG 3.1 target," he stated.

Namibia is one of the 10 African countries which have met the “Every Woman Every Newborn Everywhere” (EWENE) target of no more than 140 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. The EWENE initiative aims to support countries in reaching the 2030 SDG target.

The Minister of Health and Social Services, Dr. Esperance Luvindao, highlighted that the theme for 2025 was carefully chosen to bring attention to the urgent need to eliminate preventable maternal and newborn deaths. "Addressing the health and nutrition of women, children, and adolescents remains a priority as we work towards meeting global targets set by the WHO and the United Nations, including reducing maternal mortality to below 70 per 100,000 live births and neonatal mortality to below 12 per 1,000 live births by 2030," she stated. “Despite medical advancements, maternal and neonatal mortality rates remain unacceptably high in many regions, especially in low-resource settings, and we must ensure that no mother dies during childbirth,” she added.

Linda Ndubano, a 24-year-old mother, also spoke at the event, urging other mothers and communities to collaborate and support government initiatives focused on improving maternal and child health. "As a breastfeeding mother of a 4-month-old baby girl, I’m here to encourage other mothers to breastfeed their babies to support their health and strength," she said. "As community members, we all have a role to play in ensuring healthy beginnings and hopeful futures. Our voices and actions truly make a difference," she concluded.

The commemoration served as both a reminder and a call to action. While significant strides have been made, continued collaboration between the government, healthcare providers, and communities is essential to achieving the goal of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality rates. WHO reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring that every mother and child in Namibia has a healthy start. With continued collective effort, the vision of a hopeful future can become a reality for all.

The National Risk Communication and Risk Engagement strategy was also launched at the event.