Margaret Djanie Memorial Foundation

BLAKOFE LAUNCHES MARGARET DJANIE MEMORIAL FOUNDATION

News that TV and radio personality Blakofe has registered her own NGO did not come as a surprise to us. A social advocate who has shown passion for fighting for the under dog, Blakofe says her NGO is about saving lives. Named the Margaret Djanie Memorial Foundation, the NGO has been set up by Blakofe and her sister Pamela, in memory of their mother, Margaret Korkor Djanie who passed away in childbirth on 23rd April 1980 at the Ridge Hospital, Accra. According to Blakofe “I have always felt I had to do something about mothers and babies dying from childbirth. More so as my sister and I are now mothers. We decided to run the Margaret Djanie Memorial Foundation because maternal health is something we are passionate about. We genuinely care for the welfare of pregnant women and their new babies. Losing our mother through childbirth was a very very painful experience. I was 10 and my sister only 8 years.”

So what exactly will the Margaret Djanie Foundation do? Says Blakofe “We just want to help. We have conducted quite a bit of research and are aware of the causes of mothers and /or babies dying from pregnancy related issues. Our NGO is here to help you. We want hospitals, health professionals and anyone dealing with pregnant women to come to us with their needs and we will endeavor to meet them. So for example, Korle Bu may come to us because they need to update their maternity ward or a hospital in Koforidua will come to us to help them purchase modern equipment or maybe we’ll need to sponsor more midwives in Akusi Hospital. Whatever the need, we will source funds to meet them.”

Adds Pamela “There are cases where women and babies die as a result of negligence on the part of medical staff. Nobody is putting this people to book. Medical staff are getting away with killing women and babies. We will make sure they are held accountable. That is what the Margaret Djanie Foundation is all about. If anybody would like to contact us, they can do so via email info@mdjaniefoundation.com or by phoning 0266 137 207. We want to hear from people who need our help. The Margaret Djanie Memorial Foundation is here to save mothers and babies dying from pregnancy related issues, so please, let us know what we can do for you.”

Blakofe is best associated with promoting Ghanaian arts and culture on programmes such as Artsworld (Aljazeera), Studio 53 (MNet) and Amazing Ghana.