THE NEED | Worldwide, more than 350,000 women die each year— one every 90 seconds—from complications in pregnancy or childbirth. Ninety-nine percent of these deaths are in developing countries. Most could be prevented with access to proper nutrition and medical care, but more than half of women in these countries don’t receive essential prenatal care, putting both their health and the health of their unborn children at serious risk.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES | By providing nutrition education and care to mothers and pregnant women and increasing access to critical medical services, it’s our goal to help reduce maternal and infant deaths and decrease the number of women suffering from illness as a consequence of pregnancy and childbirth.
Ethiopia: Maternal Health – reduce high rates of maternal and infant death in Ethiopia by training skilled midwives to serve in rural communities
Sierra Leone: Health Access Improvement (AIM High) – addressing the underlying causes of poor health from a holistic standpoint—building sustainable, community-led healthcare systems, while at the same time building up women and empowering them to take charge of their health
Somalia: Maternal and Child Health – information coming soon
Uganda: Maternal and Child Health – aims to improve the knowledge and skills of community health workers through mobile technology, such as smart phones and radio learning programs
Zambia: Maternal and Child Health – enabling community caregivers to better manage cases of malaria and other diseases through training in use of phone-based health software
SWSW Sector Overview: Maternal and Child Health
“Report Finds Gradual Fall in Female Genital Cutting in Africa”, New York Times, 7/22/13.
Afghanistan: Herat Midwifery Extension Project – This project ended in July 2013. Through your support of the Strong Women, Strong World initiative, the Midwifery Extension Project at Herat Maternity Hospital in Afghanistan helped to reduce maternal and infant death by training 24 midwives at Herat Maternity Hospital, who provide improved care for expectant mothers—especially those with difficult deliveries.