According to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, initiatives must be taken to reduce maternal mortality. Women should not only be allowed to pursue education but they must also be shielded from pernicious traditional practices which are having an adverse impact on their health. In addition, they should also be provided with effective family planning services. When an adolescent girl is safe from harm and able to choose when to bear children, she can be saved from HIV infection. Ban told an audience in Nairobi, Kenya, at an event on ending maternal mortality. He noted that minuscule investments in simple solutions, which can range from basic midwife training for women in villages to motorcycle ambulances in remote rural areas can go a long way. The Every Woman Every Child initiative, launched in 2010, is a global effort to mobilize and intensify global action to save the lives of 16 million women and children. In his speech, Mr. Ban highlighted the impact of harmful traditional practices, such as female genital mutilation on young girls. Almost 20 percent of girls in Kenya are cut because of this barbaric practice. In Somalia, 98 percent of women are subjected to this pernicious tradition. The UN Secretary General also met with the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta. He expressed solidarity with the people of Kenya in light of recent terrorist incidents, and his confidence in Mr. Kenyatta's leadership in maintaining national unity.