CARE on NBC's TODAY

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From the time you had your morning coffee today until you lift your cup again tomorrow, nearly 1,000 expectant mothers will die. Ninety-eight percent of these women live in poor countries. Maternal deaths represent the greatest disparity in public health worldwide. It is a top killer of women and girls of reproductive age.

Ethiopia is one of the countries with high maternal mortality. As part of a CARE Learning Tour, TODAY correspondent Jenna Bush Hager toured CARE's maternal health work in Ethiopia with CARE President and CEO Dr. Helene Gayle, CARE's Advocate for Maternal Health Christy Turlington Burns, Reps. Aaron Schock (R-IL) and Laura Richardson (D-CA) as well as Ambassador Mark Dybul and Deb Derrick from the Gates Foundation.

Maternal mortality is nothing short of an epidemic. Worldwide, hundreds of thousands of women die from complications in pregnancy and childbirth each year - and millions more are left with life-altering disabilities. That's one woman dying nearly every minute of every day. These women aren't dying because we don't know how to prevent their deaths; they are dying because the world is failing to help.

CARE's lifesaving maternal health work

Fortunately, we don't have to wait for a medical breakthrough to save women's lives. We know how to prevent 90 percent of all maternal deaths. CARE is in a special position to improve maternal and newborn health at the local, national and global levels. That's because we work directly with women and communities, helping to empower them by providing services and information as well as advocating for policies to ensure that safe pregnancy and childbirth are a basic human rights.

With more than 50 years of experience implementing maternal and child health projects - and a long history of working with a global coalition of public and private partners - CARE can help save women's lives.