The Organisation of African First Ladies, GE & Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship Join Forces to Advance Health Care Goals in Africa

Healthymagination Mother & Child program partners convene to discuss
how social entrepreneurship can reduce healthcare disparities in
Sub-Saharan Africa

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) joined
General Electric Company (GE) and Santa Clara University’s Miller Center
for Social Entrepreneurship on June 9 to advance social entrepreneurship
to improve maternal and child health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa.

The First Ladies of Africa were introduced to the healthymagination
Mother & Child program, and participated in a roundtable panel that
addressed how countries can engage social enterprises to meet U.N.
Sustainable Development Goals and improve health care for mothers and
children.

In March, GE and Miller Center partnered to create the healthymagination
Mother & Child program which trains and mentors social entrepreneurs
working on maternal and child health innovations in sub-Saharan Africa.
The program combines GE healthcare product expertise with Miller
Center’s proven Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI) methodology for
accelerating social enterprises.

“We are encouraged by the potential of social entrepreneurship, and the
healthymagination program in particular, to help reduce maternal,
newborn and child mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa,” said Her
Excellency Madam Monica Geingos, First Lady of the Republic of Namibia.
“The well-being of the mother is key to ensuring the survival of the
child, because children who lose their mothers are less likely to
celebrate their second birthdays. The mission and goals of this GE and
Miller Center project align perfectly with the mission and goals of
OAFLA.”

“The healthymagination Mother & Child program is part of a multi-year
global investment by GE to improve global health outcomes, foster
regional economic development and develop local human capital,” said
Robert Wells, Executive Director of GE’s healthymagination commitment.
“We have always tried to stay close to new thinkers and partner with
companies that have innovative ideas and move fast to solve major
challenges of our time. We are proud to support the development of
healthcare innovations and partner with the Miller Center and OAFLA to
mentor the best minds to reach this goal.”

“Miller Center has aligned our time-tested curriculum and successful
track record in training, mentoring and accelerating social enterprises
globally toward achieving as many of the 17 U.N. SDGs as possible—an
approach we feel is the most direct path toward making a tangible
difference in the lives of poor and underserved women and children in
Africa and elsewhere,” said Thane Kreiner, Ph.D., Executive Director of
Miller Center for Entrepreneurship. “We are delighted to partner with GE
healthymagination, and to continue interaction with OAFLA, as we all
work to apply social entrepreneurship to our important shared goals.”

Improving maternal and child health care in Africa, the world’s
second-most populous continent, is a critical global health priority.
Over 450 women in Africa die every day from pregnancy-related
complications, and children in sub-Saharan Africa are more than 14 times
more likely to die before the age of 5 than children in developed
regions. Social entrepreneurship, with its dual focus on positive social
outcomes and solid business practices, is uniquely suited to address
these issues.

Social entrepreneurship is considered a crucial catalytic factor in
alleviating many social and environmental ills because it provides
solutions in local contexts that enrich the communities where they are
located; is sustainable; invests in human capital; and delivers a
replicable, business-focused model that helps organizations to scale.

Participants in the New York luncheon included: Her Excellency Mrs. Ban
Soon-Taek, spouse of UN Secretary General; Her Excellency, Mrs. Monica
Geingos, First Lady of the Republic of Namibia; Her Excellency, Aissata
Issoufou Mahamadou, First Lady of the Republic of Niger; Her Excellency
Mrs. Dominique Ouattara-Folloroux, First Lady of the Republic of Cote
D’Ivoire; Deborah Elam, president of The GE Foundation and Chief
Diversity Officer for GE; Carol Evans, founder and former CEO of Working
Mother Media; Dr Stefan Peterson, Director and Chief of the
Health Section, UNICEF, Thane Kreiner, Ph.D., Executive Director of
Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship; Katherine Lucey, CEO and
founder of Solar Sister; Jennifer Reingold, senior editor at Fortune
magazine and Robert Wells, Executive Director for GE’s healthymagination
commitment.

About the Organisation of First Ladies of Africa Against HIV/AIDS

The Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) is an
organization established by African First Ladies in 2002 as a collective
voice for Africa’s most vulnerable people including women and children
infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. OAFLA has since expanded its
mission to work broadly for the health and empowerment of women,
children and adolescents in Africa, including the improvement of
maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health services thereby
supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

About GE and its healthymagination Commitment

GE (NYSE:GE) is the world’s Digital Industrial Company, transforming
industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are
connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global
exchange of knowledge, the “GE Store,” through which each business
shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and
intellect. GE’s healthymagination commitment is about better health for
more people. Through its healthymagination efforts, GE continuously
develops and invests in innovations that deliver high-quality, more
affordable healthcare to more people around the world. For more
information about the GE healthymagination commitment, visit http://healthymagination.gehealthcare.com/

About Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship

Founded in 1997, Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship is one of
three Centers of Distinction at Santa Clara University. Miller Center
accelerates global, innovation-based entrepreneurship in service to
humanity. Its strategic focus is on poverty eradication through its
three areas of work: The Global Social Benefit Institute (GSBI), Impact
Capital, and Education and Action Research. To learn more about the
Center or any of its social entrepreneurship programs, visit www.scu.edu/MillerCenter.

Contacts

Media:
Kristin Schwarz for GE
Kristin.Schwarz@ge.com
+1
(646) 682-5601
or
Colleen Martell for Miller Center for Social
Entrepreneurship
Martell Communications for Miller Center
cmartell@martellpr.com
+1
(408) 832-0147

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