Saving mothers and children in Nigeria, Why I never struggle to go to work

Health workers do community outreach for the Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria program.

By Olubunmi Afolabi, Communications Officer, Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria

I rarely struggle to get out of bed in the morning. The thought of the countless lives touched by Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria (THFN), a Programs of Scale recipient, gives me strength for each new day. Statistics on Nigeria’s maternal mortality – 512 deaths for every 100,000 pregnant mothers – may appear faceless on paper, but not to me. I see the mothers. I see the babies. I have stood in the very rooms where those numbers either become tragedies or triumphs.

On the second day of our Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (EmONC) training, a woman in labor came in to a nearby health center in Aaye in Ekiti State. What transpired after I arrived will stay with me forever. The woman had been pregnant five times before and was now carrying twins at just over 36 weeks.

The situation was tense. The facility was short-staffed, and the officer-in-charge – a nurse midwife – was absent. A Community Health Extension Worker (CHEW) had stepped in to manage the delivery. She was not a midwife by training, but she had been part of our THFN program, equipped with lifesaving skills through the EmONC training.

The first twin came quickly, head first, at 8:30 a.m. The cries of the newborn filled the room, and for a moment, relief washed over us. But the second twin was not as cooperative. He was in breech position, and despite the community health worker’s best efforts, the delivery would not progress. Time slowed. The room grew heavy with fear.

I knew then what had to be done. A referral was made immediately, and thanks to the training and coordination in place, the Medical Officer of Health and a nurse who were also attending the workshop acted without hesitation. Together, they transferred the mother to the General Hospital in Iyin Ekiti.

Hours later, I stood at her bedside as the second twin was delivered safely at 12:25 p.m. But the ordeal was not over. Suddenly, the patient began to bleed – postpartum hemorrhage, one of the leading causes of maternal death in Nigeria. Swiftly, oxytocin was administered, followed by misoprostol. Slowly, her bleeding came under control. Both babies, though small – 1.9 kg (4.1 pounds) and 2.0 kg (4.4 pounds) – were breathing steadily. The mother’s life had been saved.

That night, as I lay down, I thought of her face, pale but smiling, and the tiny forms of her children bundled at her side. I thought of the community health worker whose training gave her the courage to try, of the referral system that worked when things turned complicated, and of the hospital team who did not give up until both mother and babies were safe.

For me, this was more than another day on the job. It was a calling reaffirmed. The experience reminded me that behind every statistic is a story – a mother, a child, a family, a future. It also underscored something I now carry into every training and conversation: the importance of timely referrals and the strengthening of our health systems.

When people ask me why I do this work, I think of this woman, her twins, and the hundreds of thousands of families touched by the efforts of Rotary and the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health. Their stories are the reason I rise each morning, eager to continue the work.

Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria aims to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in select areas of Nigeria by 25% and to increase the number of families who get health care in clinical settings. The program was initiated by the Rotary Action Group for Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health (RMCH) and by Rotary District 1860 in Germany and Rotary District 9125 in Nigeria, in partnership with the Nigeria Federal Ministry of Health. It received the 2021-22 Rotary Foundation Programs of Scale grant. Watch or download this video from the Brand Center.

The Autumn Ghost: How a 1952 Polio Crisis Created the Modern ICU

In 1952, Copenhagen faced a terrifying polio outbreak. Known as the "Autumn Ghost," the virus struck 12-year-old Vivi Ebert, leaving her paralyzed and unable to breathe. Without a vaccine or access to an iron lung, doctors launched a daring medical experiment that not only saved Vivi’s life—but revolutionized critical care. This crisis led to the invention of machine-run ventilators and the birth of the modern Intensive Care Unit (ICU), changing medicine forever.

What Are the 'Three Sisters' of Native American Agriculture?

A centuries-old system of growing corn, beans and squash together, it reflects Indigenous agricultural knowledge and teachings about cooperation and balance.

By Vincent Shilling

For centuries, Indigenous communities across North America have grown corn, beans and squash—known as the "Three Sisters”—in close proximity to each other. Not only do these staple crops provide excellent nutritional sustenance. Planted together, they form a symbiotic system that reflects generations’ worth of agricultural knowledge and cultural teaching about balance, cooperation and interconnectedness.

How does planting the Three Sisters together work?

The Three Sisters embody a methodology known as companion planting. When grown together in the same mound of earth, the plants support one another in a mutually beneficial system. “Corn offers a structure for the beans to climb,” writes Mardi Dodson, co-author of Companion Planting & Botanical Pesticides. “The beans, in turn, help to replenish the soil with nutrients. And the large leaves of squash and pumpkin vines provide living mulch that conserves water and provides weed control.”

How widely is it practiced?

Versions of the Three Sisters planting system have been practiced by many Indigenous nations—from the Haudenosaunee in the Northeast and the Cherokee in the Southeast to the Mandan and Hidatsa on the Plains and the Hopi and Zuni in the Southwest. Each adapted the trio of corn, beans and squash to its own environment and traditions. Today, the practice continues and has been revived as part of Indigenous food sovereignty movements. Tribes such as the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe still teach this methodology to students at the Akwesasne Freedom School. The Chickasaw Nation offers public presentations about the practice during its Three Sisters Festival.

Why are the Three Sisters sacred to Native people?

While the Three Sisters agricultural system is widespread across North America, the stories attached to it—many ancient in origin—vary significantly by nation and region. There is no single tale or meaning shared uniformly across Native cultures. In the Mohawk creation story, for example, corn, beans and squash first came with Sky Woman, who brought them from Sky World, says Kay Olan, a retired Mohawk schoolteacher and traditional storyteller.

The Three Sisters story is perhaps the most fully developed and widely cited among the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (which includes the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Tuscarora nations). In their tradition, the Three Sisters are personified as a trio of women who cared for each other, despite having disparate personalities. In the story, they separate, then eventually reunite, expressing their wish to never part again. Olan says learning of their collective strength when reunited—like corn offering support, beans bringing strength and squash providing protection—is the message of the story. “When we're eating corn, beans and squash together, we're reminded of that lesson in cooperation.”

How did the arrival of European settlers affect the cultivation of the Three Sisters?

Under pressure from European settlers, tribes in the 19th century were forcibly displaced to reservation lands that were often barren and unconducive to traditional agricultural practices. Over time, Indigenous people became increasingly reliant on processed and nonagricultural commodity foods such as white flour, lard and sugar, says Olan. Unaccustomed to digesting such fare, Native Americans experienced a sharp rise in diabetes and other health problems.

“That's why we have to relearn what those foods were,” says Olan, referring to the Three Sisters and other traditional fare, “and how to prepare them so that we can become healthier again.”

Veterans Day
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2025

History of Veterans Day

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but also helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

1926

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:
Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

1938

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday—a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor Veterans of World War I,

1954

In 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the Veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American Veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” (PDF) which stated, “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all Veterans, all Veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.”

1958

In 1958, the White House advised VA’s General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee’s chairman.

1968

The Uniform Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to ensure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

1971

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans’ service organizations and the American people.