Yesterday, we observed Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026, convened under the theme of a Period-Friendly World, coordinated by @WASHUnited with support from @UNICEF, in a shared commitment to ensuring that no woman or girl is held back because she menstruates. Five hundred million women and girls worldwide still lack what they need to manage their periods safely, hygienically, and without shame, a reality produced by failures in product access, Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene infrastructure, and entrenched taboos that foreclose open conversation and, by extension, effective programmatic response. In Nigeria, peer-reviewed literature published in 2026 in the Oxford journal International Health across 26 studies links insufficient sanitation facilities, menstrual products, and educational resources directly to school absenteeism, psychological distress, and heightened vulnerability among adolescent girls. Survey data show that over 23% of Nigerian girls aged 15 to 24 missed school due to menstruation in the past year, with a separate study recording 43% absent due to menstrual pain alone. At the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, our Adolescent Skills and Drills Programme delivers an integrated response within Nigerian schools and communities, embedding Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education #PSHE and #WASH programming to build the knowledge, environment, and practical competencies adolescent girls require to manage their menstrual health safely with confidence. Multi-component programmes of this kind have demonstrated reductions in absenteeism of up to 70%, precisely the model that the draft Shared Agenda for Action on Menstrual Health and Hygiene, released for public feedback on this day, calls on governments to fund and scale. We also welcome WASH United's MHM Education Guide, available in over 20 languages across four world regions, as a resource that complements the frontline-grounded delivery WBFA advances across Nigeria. A period-friendly world begins with period-friendly schools, period-friendly communities, and governments prepared to fund commitments that move policy into lived reality. #MenstrualHygieneDay #PeriodFriendlyWorld #FrontlineFriday

On this #FrontlineFriday, I am reflecting on a moment always cherished, seeing my dear brother @DrTedros, Director-General of the @WHO, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva during the 79th World Health Assembly last week. His leadership and commitment to the principle that health belongs to everyone, everywhere, are things I hold in the highest regard, and time spent with him is always time well spent. #WHA79 was, as ever, a week of remarkable encounters at the @UN Office at Geneva (UNOG), housed at the historic Palais des Nations, the second largest United Nations centre after the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The facility, an outstanding testimony to twentieth century architecture, is situated in the beautiful Ariana park in Geneva, Switzerland. The Palais des Nations is one of the largest diplomatic conference centers globally. Around 8,000 meetings are organized each year particularly the World Health Assembly where so much of the most important work happens, in bilateral conversations, chance meetings in corridors, and the meaningful moments between sessions where partnerships are deepened and ideas take shape. Wonderful to reconnect with so many valued colleagues and institutional partners across the week, and to carry those conversations forward into the @WellbeingAfrica work which lies ahead. #WellbeingForAll

As the @WHOFoundation's Inaugural Global Health Ambassador, it was a meaningful afternoon to share the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation's frontline learnings at the roundtable on From Early Warning to Anticipatory Action: Advancing Proactive Emergency Preparedness at Goals House in Geneva, co-hosted by Dr. Marie Roseline Belizaire, Regional Emergency Director at @WHO_Africa, and Valerie Boulet, Chief Development Officer at the WHO Foundation, with fellow colleagues from Colgate Palmolive @CP_News, @GoogleHealth, @Microsoft, among others, as part of the Health Emergencies Alliance convening programme on the sidelines of the @WHO 79th World Health Assembly. Africa has every capacity to move from response to preparedness, and the infrastructure investment of the past decade has built the foundations to make that possible. The opportunity now is in the translation layer, connecting the signal to the decision with the speed and coherence that communities on the frontline deserve. Our #WBFA health workers are often the first to observe a pattern forming, and the real breakthrough comes when that observation moves upward into a coordinated response in real time. That requires sustained partnership, community trust, political will, and pre-positioned resources. Those are the conditions that make the technology work, and that make platforms like the Preparedness Data Exchange PDX, developed by Dr. Dick Chamla and the Nairobi Emergency Hub team, such an important step forward for the continent. In 2025 and 2026, the Health Emergencies Alliance has focused specifically on leveraging AI and data to monitor potential health emergencies, and this discussion on what it will genuinely take to move proven preparedness solutions from ambition to scale was exactly the quality of conversation this moment demands, marking what I hope will be the first of many as Goals House at #WHA79 inaugurates this convening platform at the World Health Assembly. #WellbeingForAll #OneHealth #FrontlineFriday

On this #WorkersDay, I join the global health community in recognising the truth that drives every breakthrough in maternal care, every immunisation delivered, and every life saved, that sustainable development is built upon the expertise, dedication, and professionalism of the frontline health workers who carry it forward. To the @WellbeingAfrica Foundation team, and to our partners across Nigeria, the African continent, and the wider global development and social impact landscape, whose technical rigour and commitment to reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health continue to generate meaningful progress for the communities we serve, I extend my deepest commendation and appreciation. This #FrontlineFriday and International Workers' Day, we honour every individual who brings knowledge and purpose to the work of advancing health equity, and acknowledge the workers who sustain our societies, our economies, and the foundations of human progress worldwide. #MayDay #WellbeingForAll

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet Michael 🔥 This week’s feature is Fire Fighter Michael Campbell from Station 60 in Herring Cove. As one of our newer members, joining in 2025, Michael has quickly embraced the purpose and unpredictability that comes with the job. From day one, he’s been part of a team culture built on trust, readiness, and showing up when it matters most. His perspective highlights what draws many to the fire service — the ability to help people, adapt to any situation, and rely on a strong team to get the job done safely and effectively. Thank you, Michael, for stepping up to serve your community. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty #BehindTheMask

As the @WHO World Immunization Week begins today under the theme For Every Generation, Vaccines Work, I welcome the precision of a framing that restates both the scientific record on vaccines and the coverage gaps still to be closed. Over the last fifty years, vaccines have saved more than 150 million lives, equivalent to six lives every minute, every day, for five decades, and have driven a 40% improvement in infant survival globally. Yet in 2024, 20 million children still missed at least one vaccine dose, of whom 14.3 million received none at all, and Nigeria now carries the highest burden on the African continent, with over 2.1 million zero-dose children accounting for 14.7% of the world's unvaccinated infants. Immunisation has long been embedded within my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation's frontline programming, with our #MamaCare360 Antenatal and Postnatal Education Programme integrating structured immunisation health education into its curriculum, and with our midwives and nurses delivering routine childhood immunisation counselling, explaining vaccines including the HPV vaccination in accessible, localised terms to mothers, and supporting the completion of adolescent girls' vaccination in line with the WHO 90-70-90 cervical cancer elimination targets, linking maternal engagement to the wider continuum of primary health care. As the Inaugural @WHOFoundation Ambassador for Global Health and Special Adviser to the Independent Advisory Group of @WHOAFRO, I have consistently positioned community-trusted health workers as the indispensable last mile of any immunisation system. As the global community reaches the mid-term review of the Immunization Agenda 2030, the call to build trust, share accurate information, and strengthen confidence must be met with equal investment in the workers who deliver that trust at household and facility level. This Frontline Friday, I pay tribute to the midwives, nurses, doctors, community health workers, and vaccinators across Nigeria and the continent who sustain routine immunisation coverage in every community they serve. For every generation, vaccines work. For every generation, you have worked. #WorldImmunizationWeek #ForEveryGeneration #WellbeingForAll #FrontlineFriday

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet Marc 🔥 This week’s feature is Fire Fighter / Engineer Marc Leger from Station 12 in Highfield Park. With a career spanning decades since joining in 1988, Marc represents experience, leadership, and a commitment to continuous learning. He has built his career on developing his skills while helping others do the same — passing on knowledge that strengthens the entire team. Beyond the fireground, Marc currently serves as Secretary for Halifax Professional Fire Fighters, and previously dedicated many years as an Executive Officer — playing a key role in supporting members and advancing fire fighter health and safety. Marc’s career is a reminder that strong teams are built not just through experience, but through mentorship, leadership, and a commitment to those around you. Thank you, Marc, for your leadership and continued service. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty #BehindTheMask

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet Stephen 🔥 This week’s feature is Fire Fighter / Engineer Stephen Fenner from Station 12 in Highfield Park. Since joining in 2000, Stephen has built a career grounded in teamwork, purpose, and making a difference when it matters most. For him, every call is an opportunity to help someone on what could be the worst day of their life — whether in big ways or small. Stephen speaks to what makes the job truly rewarding: having each other’s backs, working alongside a strong crew, and showing up every shift ready to serve the community. Thank you, Stephen, for your dedication and continued service. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty #BehindTheMask

I welcome the release of the @Bayer Sustainability Council 2025 Annual Report, to which I was honoured to contribute through active advisory engagement, strategic review, and the provision of systems-level insight alongside my fellow Council members. As an independent body of global experts, the Council plays a vital role in both supporting and constructively challenging Bayer’s leadership, ensuring that sustainability commitments are not simply ambitious but measurable, accountable, and firmly anchored in real-world impact. This year’s report reflects meaningful progress at scale, with Bayer reaching more than 80 million people in undersupported communities through self-care interventions and 68 million women with access to modern contraception, while continuing to advance its ambition to reach 100 million women annually by 2030. These figures reflect tangible progress, representing lives improved, choices expanded, and futures strengthened across communities where access has too often been limited. My contribution to this work has been shaped by a sustained focus on the intersection of climate and health, particularly through African and Nigerian perspectives, where the impacts of climate change are already accelerating risks for maternal, newborn, and child health. Across many communities, heat stress, food insecurity, and shifting disease patterns are converging in ways that place additional strain on families and health systems, and it is essential that these lived realities inform global strategy and decision-making. The report further highlights advances in nutrition, agriculture, and global health delivery, from expanding access to micronutrients to supporting smallholder farmers and strengthening supply chains in low and middle-income settings. I look forward to continuing this important collaboration with fellow Council members, Bayer teams, and through my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation as we work collectively to advance climate, nutrition and health integration, strengthen systems, and deliver meaningful progress for communities across Africa and globally. #StrongerTogether #HealthForAll #WellbeingForAll #HungerForNone #FrontlineFriday

This week, my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation was actively engaged at the International Maternal Newborn Health Conference 2026 in Nairobi, Kenya, convened by @AlignMNH Community, bringing together governments, multilateral institutions, academia, civil society, and implementation partners to advance maternal and newborn survival and the prevention of stillbirths. Representing #WBFA, Katy Heinemann, Director of Global Partnerships & Grants, participated in high-level dialogues and technical sessions while engaging with our partners, including @LSTMNews, @NEST360org, @Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Maternity Foundation, @Philips, @GEHealthCare, @EveryPregnancy, and @SafaricomPLC, as well as the @GatesFoundation, among others, ensuring that partnership-driven solutions remained closely aligned with delivery. As progress towards reducing maternal and newborn mortality has slowed in several regions, this convening marked a critical moment for disciplined realignment centred on accountability, quality of care, and country leadership. Discussions reinforced that strengthening midwifery education, advancing quality of care, and institutionalising Maternal and Perinatal Death Surveillance and Response Systems are essential to delivering consistent outcomes for women and newborns, and to informing stronger practice, policy, and prevention. In parallel, we advanced purposeful bilateral engagement, including strategic discussions with Philips on innovations such as the #SmartSweep AI Ultrasound Project, alongside continued coordination with the Maternity Foundation, with a shared focus on scaling practical, evidence-based interventions. It was also a pleasure to connect with Dr Sanjana Bhardwaj, Deputy Director, Program Advocacy and Communications at the Gates Foundation, to discuss our continued work at the World Economic Forum @WEF Global Alliance for Women’s Health. As the conference concludes, the task before us is clear, to carry evidence into implementation, strengthen accountability across the continuum of care, and sustain the partnerships and investments required to ensure that every woman and every newborn survives and thrives. #IMNHC2026 #WellbeingForAll #FrontlineFriday

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet John 🔥 This week’s feature highlights Fire Inspector John Hardman from the Fire Prevention Division. Since joining in 2022, John has focused on one of the most important parts of the fire service — preventing emergencies before they happen. Through inspections, education, and working closely with business owners, residents, and event organizers, John helps keep communities across HRM safer every day. For John, the most rewarding part of the job is engaging directly with the community he lives in and helping people understand how small steps in fire safety can make a big difference. Thank you, John, for the work you do behind the scenes to protect our communities. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet David 🔥 This week’s feature highlights Fire Fighter Engineer David Parsons, serving at Station 60 in Herring Cove. Since joining in 2003, David has found the fire service to be an incredibly rewarding career — working alongside passionate people while helping the community he calls home. Along the way, the job has also brought lasting friendships and a strong sense of camaraderie that makes the fire service truly special. Thank you, David, for your continued dedication to your crew and the community you serve. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty #BehindTheMask

Here are four important things new mothers may miss about the early detection of newborn jaundice: 1.Jaundice Often Starts Subtly The earliest signs of jaundice usually appear as a mild yellowing of the skin or eyes, beginning from the face and gradually moving downward to the chest, abdomen, and legs. In many cases, this early change can be difficult to notice, especially in low lighting or on certain skin tones. 2.The First Week of Life Is Critical: Most newborn jaundice develops within the first 2–5 days after birth, which is why close monitoring during the early postnatal period is essential. Mothers may assume the baby is healthy once discharged from the health facility, but jaundice can appear or worsen after going home. 3.Poor Feeding Can Be an Early Indicator: When a baby becomes unusually sleepy, feeds poorly, or struggles to latch during breastfeeding, it may signal rising bilirubin levels. 4.Early Medical Assessment Saves Lives: A simple check by a healthcare professional, often through visual assessment or bilirubin testing, can determine whether treatment such as phototherapy is needed. Through these lessons from Project Oscar – Light for Life we continue to equip mothers with the knowledge and support needed to recognize early warning signs in newborns. Maternal education sessions led by WBFA Midwives empower families with life-saving information that promotes safe newborn care and healthier beginnings. #Frontlinefriday #Projectoscar #Lightforlife

This #Frontlinefriday, Mrs Komolafe Patricia a Midwife here at the Wellbeing Foundation Africa shares her journey so far. “My work is driven by a clear mission: equipping women and mothers with life-saving health knowledge to protect themselves and their babies. Through reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health education, we empower women to make informed decisions that build healthier families and communities, advancing Goal 3 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.” A key driver of this impact is the Mamacare360 Educational Program, which supports women from pregnancy through early childhood. By providing practical, evidence-based guidance and personalized counselling, the program helps mothers recognize danger signs, adopt safe practices, and confidently navigate every stage of care while receiving the emotional support they need. Thousands of women have strengthened their health practices and become advocates within their communities, fostering a culture of shared knowledge and collective care. I remain deeply grateful to our Founder and President, Toyin Ojora Saraki, whose visionary leadership continues to transform maternal and child health outcomes. Being part of this mission is more than service—it is a commitment to raising stronger, healthier generations. #FrontlineFriday #WellbeingForAll

Last week in Lagos, the @WellbeingAfrica Froundation convened the Final Quarterly Stakeholder Review Meeting of Project Oscar – Light for Life, our neonatal jaundice screening, treatment, and kernicterus prevention programme, at the Skills Lab Centre of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital @LUTHOfficial, to review progress, validate outcomes, and align with frontline partners and health leadership on the next phase of policy scale and long-term sustainability. Delivered in social impact partnership with @ThisIsReckitt, with technical collaboration from @NEST360Org and @SCIDaR_, and in close coordination with Lagos Sate Ministry of Health @LSMOH, @LagosPHCB, Primary Health Care leadership, and public health facilities, this partnership model reflects deliberate alignment between global evidence, national priorities, and facility-level practice. In Lagos State, Project Oscar – Light for Life has demonstrated the impact of embedding standardised neonatal jaundice care within routine newborn services. To date, 9,151 newborns have been screened, enabling earlier identification and timely clinical action; 987 infants have been identified with elevated bilirubin levels, 325 have been referred through structured hub-and-spoke pathways, and 937 have received prompt treatment, supported by 290 trained healthcare workers, functional diagnostic and phototherapy capacity, and harmonised screening and referral protocols across participating facilities. Across the wider programme health education footprint, Project Oscar – Light for Life has engaged 74 health facilities across 5 States, and delivered structured education to over 107,762 pregnant women and nursing mothers, strengthening early recognition, appropriate care-seeking behaviour, and continuity of care from household to facility. As Project Oscar – Light for Life transitions from implementation into institutionalisation, neonatal jaundice management must move from project to practice, sustained through policy and financing, to safeguard newborn lives from the earliest light. #ProjectOscar #LightForLife  #WellbeingForAll #FrontlineFriday

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet Brin 🔥 This week’s feature highlights Fire Fighter Brin Jones, serving at Station 58 in Lakeside. Since joining in 2023, Brin has embraced the opportunity to do work he genuinely loves every day. For him, the fire service is about more than the calls — it’s about the sense of family within the department and the pride that comes with showing up each shift ready to contribute. The job is demanding, but that strong team culture and shared purpose are what make it incredibly rewarding. Thank you, Brin, for your commitment to your crew and the community. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty #BehindTheMask

At the final quarterly stakeholder meeting of Project Oscar – Light for Life, held on last week at the Surgical Skills Laboratory Centre of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital , The Wellbeing Foundation Africa convened partners and stakeholders to review progress, share implementation insights, and reflect on the growing impact of this life-saving neonatal intervention. During the meeting, the Director of Programmes and Reporting WBFA, Dr. Osinachi Onyezirim, presented a comprehensive programme update, highlighting how screening protocols have now been standardised across 16 health facilities, with functional bilirubinometers and phototherapy units successfully deployed to strengthen early detection and treatment capacity. To date, 290 healthcare workers have been trained, nearly 30,000 women have been reached with awareness and education, over 8,800 newborns have been screened, and more than 900 newborns have received early treatment preventing avoidable complications and safeguarding healthy beginnings. In her goodwill message, Her Excellency Mrs. @ToyinSaraki, Founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa, issued a clear and strategic call for neonatal jaundice management to be standardised and fully integrated into Nigeria’s healthcare system. She emphasised that this initiative exemplifies true systems strengthening data-driven, partnership-led, policy-aligned, and anchored in long-term sustainability. Dr. Bolade Kokoye, Director of Family Health and Nutrition at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, reaffirmed the State’s commitment to institutionalising the refined protocols, technologies, and referral pathways developed through Project Oscar into routine maternal and child health services, ensuring that progress made under the programme translates into enduring policy and practice. Project Oscar – Light for Life was designed as a comprehensive systems-strengthening intervention to close these gaps in screening, referral pathways, equipment access, and community awareness across different levels of healthcare. Funded by our social impact partner @ThisIsReckitt and implemented by the Wellbeing Foundation Africa in collaboration with @NEST360org , the Solina Centre for International Development and Research (@SCIDaR_ ), London school of hygiene @LSHTM and the Lagos State Government @followlasg . This programme continues to demonstrate that systemic changes become achievable through strategic partnerships building standardised framework of care that ensures every newborn in Nigeria has an equitable chance at survival and a healthy start to life. #Frontlinefriday #Projectoscar #Lightforlife

As an @AstraZeneca Global Breast Cancer Care Council Member and contributing author, I am pleased to share that the Improving Breast Cancer Outcomes Through Quality Care: Call to Action for the Implementation of the Breast Cancer Care Quality Index #BCCQI, has now been formally published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, highlighting a global shift toward breast cancer strategies grounded in measurable quality, accountability across the care continuum, and health systems responsive to the lived realities of women everywhere.  Developed through multidisciplinary collaboration among clinicians, patient advocates, policy experts, and health system leaders, the BCCQI provides a practical framework to assess and strengthen breast cancer care across early detection, timely diagnosis, comprehensive management, and health system resilience. Its emphasis on patient navigation, referral coordination, workforce capacity, data systems, and patient-centred measurement is particularly critical for low and middle-income settings, where targeted system strengthening is essential to accelerate equitable progress toward the World Health Organization @WHO Global Breast Cancer Initiative #GBCI targets. At my @WellbeingAfrica Foundation, these priorities shape our work to translate global policy into locally grounded programmatic action. Through #MamaCare360 and our broader #WBFA cancer engagement strategy, we advance patient-responsive care models and referral and care coordination pathways that strengthen community awareness and improve continuity of care across the cancer journey. In parallel, WBFA was also pleased to recently support #WorldCancerDay activities in Nigeria alongside @SAMBAI Patient Advocacy Team and TOUCH The Black Breast Cancer Alliance @TOUCHBBCA, reinforcing the importance of community leadership, advocacy, and partnership in advancing cancer outcomes. This perspective publication therefore stands as both a technical roadmap and a shared responsibility to ensure that quality is systematically defined, measured, and delivered, so that no one is left behind. #FrontlineFriday  #WellbeingForAll

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet Brendan 🔥 This week we’re featuring Captain Brendan Dunfee Jr., serving at Station 12 in Highfield Park. Since joining in 2011, Brendan has embraced what the fire service is all about — family, teamwork, and trust. For him, the bond built around the table, on the training ground, and on the fireground is what makes the job meaningful. When an emergency arises, that trust in one another is what carries the crew through and ensures the community gets their very best. Thank you, Brendan, for your leadership and dedication to your team and the people you serve every day. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty #BehindTheMask

🔥 Frontline Friday: Meet Pat🔥 This week’s feature highlights Captain Pat James, serving at Station 24 in Musquodoboit Harbour. Born and raised in Dartmouth, Pat’s connection to community has shaped his entire career in the fire service. For him, the most rewarding part of the job is working as a crew — supporting one another and making difficult situations better through teamwork and trust. Since joining in 2014, Pat has taken pride not only in serving the public, but in helping develop the next generation of fire fighters. As a Captain, that commitment to mentorship and leadership continues to make a lasting impact across the department. Thank you, Pat, for your dedication to your crew, your community, and the future of the fire service. #FrontlineFriday #hfxfirefighters #HPFFAlwaysOnDuty #BehindTheMask