NEW YORK (September 26, 2007) - CARE President Helene Gayle today announced that CARE would mobilize $150 million to provide 30 million women and their children better maternal health and nutrition services. With a global coalition of public and private entities, CARE aims to reduce maternal mortality and child malnutrition rates in 10 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America by 2015. Dr. Gayle announced the program at the Clinton Global Initiative.
A woman dies each minute from complications during pregnancy or childbirth. Nearly all of these deaths occur in the developing world, and the leading cause of death is bleeding, for which there are simple, cheap solutions. For every woman who dies, 30 others are injured, infected or disabled.
"Women are dying simply because they are poor," said Dr. Gayle. "This is a violation of human rights and dignity. Women deserve a safe pregnancy and delivery regardless of where they live or of how much money they have."
CARE's initiative aims to change practices and policies that marginalize women and put them and their children at risk. CARE and its partners will provide women access to contraception to avoid unintended pregnancies; access to basic care during pregnancy, such as nutritional support and prevention and treatment of disease; skilled care during delivery; quality emergency obstetric care; and information to ensure optimal breastfeeding and complementary feeding. The program will train health care providers and work with ministries of health and local partners to ensure quality of service, as well as establish policies and procedures to support maternal health and child nutrition. Finally, CARE will work with a coalition of individuals and organizations on a global campaign aimed at realizing women's right to a safe pregnancy and delivery.
These efforts will build on CARE's programs to improve maternal and child health in more than 40 countries. In Peru, for example, mortality rates in one region were reduced by 49 percent in less than four years by improving emergency obstetric care.
"Unless women are given the resources and support they need to care for themselves and their children, achieving the Millennium Development Goals will be impossible," said Dr. Gayle. "Investing more money in maternal health will benefit families, communities and nations."
Watch the session now.
Continuing the conversation started at the Clinton Global Initiative regarding actions needed to reduce preventable maternal mortality deaths, Dr. Gayle will be a featured speaker at the Women Deliver Conference in London on October 20 and at the California Women Conference in Long Beach on October 23.
About CARE: CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Last year, CARE programs improved the lives of more than 45 million people in 66 countries. Recognizing that women suffer disproportionately from poverty, CARE places special emphasis on working with women to create permanent social change. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives. For more information, please visit www.care.org.
