Ellen, former Spanish Prime Minister meet

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has received in audience the former deputy prime minister of Spain, Madam María Teresa Fernández de la Vega.

Ms. de la Vega, who is also president of the Mujeres por Africa (Women for Africa Foundation), is in Liberia visiting a project her organization is undertaking and meeting with health officials. She paid a courtesy call on the Liberian leader at her temporary Foreign Ministry office on Friday, October 23, 2015.

During the meeting, Ms. de la Vega informed President Sirleaf that the Fistula Unit at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital which her organization had launched under the “Stop Fistula Project” in May 2013 was reopened and functioning. The unit was closed as a result of the Ebola virus disease.

The Unit assists young women who suffer from obstructed labor, and offer free surgical treatment for women with fistula, to repair cases that could not be prevented.Ms. de la Vega, through her organization, have volunteered to provide assistance in the health sector that Liberia is trying to rebuild, especially child and maternal health; provide local and foreign training to medical students in specialized areas for the improvement of the health sector.

The Women for Africa Foundation president also promised to provide training to women who are Ebola survivors, community health leaders and local health agents in various aspects of health and hygiene.

Ms. de la Vega also used the opportunity to invite Liberia’s participation in second top women’s leadership training at Yale University next April.

The project which was initiated last year enlightens top women in leadership and management skills. Liberia has been invited along with Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal and Rwanda. As the Foundation’s Board of Directors is expected to host its annual meeting shortly, Ms. de la Vega extended a personal invitation to President Sirleaf to attend the meeting and serve as keynote speaker, speaking on the overriding theme: “Women’s Leadership”.

For her part, President Sirleaf welcomed the former Spanish deputy prime minister to Liberia and expressed deepest sympathy for the death of her compatriot, Spanish Missionary Liguel Pajares, who previously worked for St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital and died of Ebola.

As regards the proposals put forth, the Liberian leader indicated that all of her proposals fit within the country’s health plan to rebuild the sector, noting that training is a priority for the government.

She said she would take advantage of all the goodwill to ensure that the health system is rebuilt and that there will not be a reoccurrence of what happened in 2014.

Press release

Ellen, former Spanish Prime Minister meet