In 2016, UNICEF reported that the causes of maternal mortality deaths in the Niger Delta Region are lack of Purified drinking water and poor sanitation. According to the report, almost 90 percent of child deaths from diarrhoeal diseases are directly linked to contaminated water, lack of sanitation, or inadequate hygiene. The report also confirmed that child mortality rate of Nigeria was 104.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2016. In response to the UNICEF Report and recent cry outs from the local communities, a team of SWEERGLOBAL investigators visited the region and interviewed the local communities, who told us, "the situation has worsened and there is no help in sight; the government keep

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saying it is improving, but it has gotten worse."  According to the Africa Population Health Research Center (APHRC) - 2017 Fact-Sheet, "Pregnancy and the period surrounding it is a dangerous time for too many of the 9.2 million women and girls who become pregnant in Nigeria each year. They face a lifetime risk of maternal death of 1 in 13 compared to 1 in 31 for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole. Nigeria’s estimated annual 40,000 maternal deaths account for about 14% of the global total. The country is also the second largest contributor to maternal mortality worldwide, after India. One Nigerian woman dies every 13 minutes – that is 109 women dying each day - from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. For each death, there are an estimated 30 to 50 women who will experience life-long conditions and disabilities such as obstetric fistula. In total, that’s more than 500 women each day who will die or face serious and lasting health consequences. Most of these deaths and health consequences are, however, preventable. Although maternal deaths have declined globally since the 1990s, the pace of reduction has been much slower in Nigeria compared to the rest of Africa."