Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal completed her recent three-day trip to Sierra Leone with a visit to Aberdeen Women’s Centre (AWC) on April 7 2017.
The Princess Royal was welcomed to AWC by Country Director, Mr Augustine Kosia; Non-clinical Director, Mr Michael Hynds; and Obstetrician and Gynaecologist, Dr Jeredine George. During her visit to AWC, the Princess Royal was taken on a tour of the Centre’s facilities including the maternity ward, fistula wards and paediatric out-patient clinic.
The Princess Royal also opened AWC’s new Upper Extension. This new construction adds a twenty-bed ward, a pharmacy, a classroom and offices and will greatly enhance the quality of services already provided at the Centre. Many members of staff and patients engaged with the Princess Royal, who appeared to be very relaxed and at ease throughout her visit.
Of particular interest was the meeting between Princess Anne and the Dream Girls Group, a peer support group of expectant teenage mothers-to-be who currently receive antenatal services at the centre. The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) and UNICEF are seeking to enrol these young women in the Girl’s Access to Education Programme- a national initiative that encourages pregnant girls in Sierra Leone to continue with education and reintegrate into the national curriculum once they have given birth.