Health
Every Woman’s Right: How Family Planning Saves Children’s Lives
The Save the Children Fund, 2012
Pregnancy is the biggest killer of teenage girls worldwide, with one million dying or suffering serious injury, infection or disease due to pregnancy or childbirth every year. This report highlights the many ways that lives are saved when women can choose the timing and spacing of their pregnancies. Becoming pregnant too soon (less than 24 months) after a previous birth is dangerous for both mothers and babies. In fact, enabling access to family planning so that women can delay conception for at least three years after giving birth reduces risk of maternal and new-born complications and could save up to 1.8 million lives each year.
Targeting Poverty and Gender Inequality to Improve Maternal Health
ICRW, 2010
Hundreds of thousands of women die every year in childbirth or from pregnancy-related causes. Virtually all of these maternal deaths occur in poor countries. In order to reduce maternal deaths and improve the overall life chances of poor mothers, policy and programs must address poverty and gender inequality, two inter-related, root causes of maternal death. This paper examines the ways in which poverty and gender inequality impact maternal mortality by creating barriers to maternal healthcare access and utilization. It also analyzes strategies designed to increase utilization to identify best practices.
Women on the Front Lines of Health Care. State of the World's Mothers 2010
Save the Children, May 2010
This year’s State of the World’s Mothers report examines the many ways women working on the front lines of health care are helping to save the lives of mothers, newborns and young children. It shows how investments in training and deploying female health workers have paid off in term of lives saved and illnesses averted, and it points to low-cost, low-tech solutions that could save millions more lives, if only they were more widely available and used.
Giving Life, Risking Death: Maternal Mortality in Burkina Faso
Amnesty International, December 2009
More than 2,000 women die in Burkina Faso every year from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. Some die because they cannot reach a suitable health facility or because their relatives cannot pay the fees demanded. Others die because of shortages – of blood, drugs, equipment or qualified medical staff. Maternal mortality takes its toll on the poorest and least educated women. Amnesty International calls for better information and services for family planning, for the removal of financial barriers to maternal health care and for improvements in access to care.
Gender and Rights in Reproductive and Maternal Health: Manual for a Learning Workshop
WHO, August 2009
It is crucially important to increase awareness of gender equality, to provide analytical and practical tools for health programme managers and others to address gender and reproductive rights. Moreover, it is vital to ensure both men's and women's participation in these efforts. This manual is intended for use in facilitating a 6-day workshop on gender and rights in reproductive and maternal health for health managers, policy-makers and others with responsibilities in reproductive health. Other stakeholders working on advocacy and policy and programme change in reproductive health, such as nongovernmental organizations and international partners may also find it useful. Although designed as a stand-alone course, it could be integrated with pre- or in-service programmes on health systems, rights and gender.
Counselling for Maternal and Newborn Health Care - A handbook for building skills
WHO, 2009
The main aim of this MNH Counselling Handbook is to strengthen counselling and communication skills of health providers including skilled birth attendants, helping them to effectively discuss with women, their husbands/partners and families and communities the important issues surrounding pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, postnatal and post-abortion care. The Handbook relies on a self-directed learning approach. Although it is designed to be used by groups of health workers with the help of a facilitator, it can also be used by an individual.
The State of the World’s Children 2009: Maternal and Newborn Health
UNICEF, January 2009
This report examines critical issues in maternal and newborn health, underscoring the need to establish a comprehensive continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. The report outlines the latest paradigms in health programming and policies for mothers and newborns, and explores policies, programmes and partnerships aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health. Africa and Asia are a key focus for this report, which complements the previous year's issue on child survival.
Progress for Children: A Report Card on Maternal Mortality (No. 7)
UNICEF , September 2008
MDG 5 is to improve maternal health, and its bold target is to reduce the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. Still, each year more than half a million women die from pregnancy-related causes that are avoidable. At the present rate of progress, the world will fall well short of the MDG 5 target. This report details progress in maternal health and highlights areas where improvements are needed.
Giving Girls Today and Tomorrow: Breaking the Cycle of Adolescent Pregnancy
UNFPA, 2007
Pregnancy- and childbirth-related complications are the number-one killers of 15-19 year old girls worldwide. This report highlights the issue of adolescent pregnancy among married and unmarried adolescent girls (10-19 year olds), especially those living in poverty. It draws attention to current trends, as well as the social, economic, and health consequences of adolescent pregnancy not only for the girls themselves, but for their families and countries. The publication argues for strategic investments in the health, education, and livelihoods of adolescent girls to empower them to avoid the trap of becoming mothers while still children.
Deliver Now for Women + Children
Deliver Now is a major new advocacy drive to eliminate maternal and child deaths and improve the health of women and children around the world. More than 10 million women and children die every year. The overwhelming majority of these deaths can be prevented with greater access to basic health resources. Deliver Now is coordinated by The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, a global alliance of more than 170 partners. The Partnership is hosted and administered by the World Health Organization (WHO).
