Saving Mothers, Giving Life

Every Mother Counts has set a goal for itself to establish a wide array of partnerships with diverse actors to truly impact the lives of women around the world and change the face of maternal health. That’s why we joined with the U.S. Global Health Initiative, the Government of Norway, Merck for Mothers, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to launch “Saving Mothers, Giving Life.”

“Saving Mothers, Giving Life” is a public-private partnership established in 2012 that seeks to accelerate the reduction of needless maternal deaths. What’s different, and the reason that EMC was so eager to join, is that we have a great set of partners with unique skills and resources; we have an ambitious but focused goal to reduce maternal deaths; AND we share a commitment to take this on in a way that can truly make a lasting difference. We started small—in four districts each in Uganda and Zambia—to work with local partners and really prove that this is possible. But, our hope is that it’s just the beginning. We hope to establish a framework that is scalable so that we can take the same approach in more districts and more countries—because EVERY mother counts.

While there are a wide variety of factors that contribute to maternal death—from proper nutrition and family planning all the way through to post-partum care—this initiative will focus on the crucial period around labor, delivery, and the 24 hours immediately following, because two thirds of maternal deaths and almost half of all infant deaths occur during that 24-hour window.

The challenge is daunting but the opportunity for improvement is immense. Every Mother Counts is just one of several partners here but we hope to make a contribution with your support. Our goal is to continue to raise awareness about maternal health amongst diverse audiences and energize them to get involved as well. A portion of all the funds we raise through walks, runs, corporate partnerships and whatever other crazy ideas we come up with—will be channeled to programs in these Saving Mothers, Giving Life countries that will support our joint goals. And just as we commit to keep you informed with all our programmatic support, we will bring you stories that chronicle the success through our investments in Saving Mothers, Giving Life as well as updates on the broader collective efforts of the partnership as well.

 

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