The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood

Ever since I saw an Ophrah episode about the Fistula Foundation I have been a supporter. If you haven't heard of fistula go to ( http://www.fistulafoundation.org/). It will break your heart to see how it affects young mothers in Africa because of poverty and lack of medical care for laboring women.

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org)is/ an organization that builds alliances, influences policies and harnesses resources to save the lives of women and newborns all around the world. The white ribbon is dedicated to the memory of all women who have died in pregnancy and childbirth. Worldwide, every minute of every day, a woman dies of pregnancy-related complications. Most of these deaths could be prevented.

The Fistula Foundation is a member of the White Ribbon Alliance. Hopefully they will be able to work together to raise awareness of the tragic deaths of women that happen every day and underscore policies and investments to help save lives.

My youngest sister just had a baby girl. Lucky her to have all of the medical resources she needed for a safe pregnancy and healthy delivery. She had access to prenatal care and obstetric care to help ensure a safe delivery and to deal with any complications that could have arisen. In many parts of the world access to prenatal care and emergency obstetric care is often unavailable.

This is not like a disease that we are still searching to cure. We know what can save the lives of mothers and children. They need the ability to make wise choices about their reproductive lives and access to medical assistance to make safe pregnancy and delivery possible. (On a global scale there is a shortage of 4 million health workers.) We need to create the political will to do something now about this terrible problem.
Please take the time to check out the websites listed above. Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General says "Health should not be seen as a blesssing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for."