AYV News, August 6, 2026
Sierra Leone has recorded a significant reduction in maternal deaths, with figures showing a 30 percent decline within the first 150 days of the government’s 300 Days of Activism campaign aimed at improving maternal and child survival.
The campaign, launched in March by the Ministry of Health, is centred around three key objectives: achieving zero maternal deaths, reducing child deaths to zero, and identifying and vaccinating children who have received no routine immunisation.
At the halfway mark of the initiative, the Ministry of Health says measurable progress has been made, with maternal deaths reducing by 30 percent, child deaths declining by 14 percent, and 79 percent of children previously without any vaccination being identified and immunised.
Health Minister Dr. Austin Demby described the progress as a major milestone, saying the results demonstrate what can be achieved through coordinated action by health workers, communities, and government institutions.
“What we have seen is the possibility of what we can achieve. This kind of trajectory has not been seen anywhere in the world,” Dr. Demby said during an event marking the campaign’s midterm review.
However, the Minister cautioned against complacency, stressing that the achievements should motivate further efforts to sustain and accelerate the gains.
The campaign’s coordinators, Dr. Francis Moses and Dr. Mariama Mustapha, said reducing child mortality remains a key challenge despite the progress recorded.
“It’s not dropping as fast as we want it,” Dr. Moses acknowledged, adding that the Ministry has introduced mandatory reviews of all child deaths at health facilities within 24 hours to identify causes and improve prevention measures.
Dr. Mustapha said the available data indicates that Sierra Leone is making progress in reversing maternal and child mortality trends, but emphasised the need to institutionalise the interventions beyond the lifespan of the campaign.
“Ultimately, we want to institutionalise these interventions beyond this campaign,” she said.
Dr. Demby explained that improved access to timely and localised health data has strengthened the Ministry’s ability to respond to major causes of maternal and child deaths, including excessive bleeding, sepsis, hypertension, malaria, pneumonia, and diarrhoea.
He said the use of real-time information is allowing health authorities to identify challenges in specific communities and deploy targeted interventions.
“We are now looking at granular data that informs our interventions. We can see what is happening in Bonthe or Tonkolili this week, examine community-level trends, and respond where the need is greatest,” he said.
The Ministry says maintaining the momentum of the 300 Days of Activism campaign will require continued commitment from healthcare workers, local authorities, and communities across the country.
