Every Mother Counts Issues Emergency Grant to Ukraine and Poland
Over the past month, more than 3 million people–predominantly women and children–have been forced to flee Ukraine and seek shelter due to the rapidly escalating Russian invasion. Experts warn that this will soon become the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II and the 2015 refugee crisis.
As with any humanitarian crisis, women and children face disproportionate risk while seeking safety. It is not yet known how many pregnant and postpartum women from Ukraine have been displaced, where they are located, and how they can access timely, quality maternity care and prevent complications of pregnancy and childbirth.
An estimated 80,000 women in Ukraine are expected to give birth in the next three months, many of whom now lack access to adequate maternal health care. Approximately 12,000 of these pregnant people will require lifesaving emergency obstetric and newborn care for complications in pregnancy.
In keeping with our mission to ensure everyone has access to the maternity care they need, Every Mother Counts has been in contact with organizations working in the region to learn what is most needed to support mothers and pregnant people.
As a first step in our commitment to helping mothers and families affected by this crisis, we have just issued an emergency grant to Global Response Management currently working on the ground in Ukraine and Poland.
Global Response Management
Every Mother Counts’ grantee, Global Response Management, provides lifesaving emergency medical care in areas of the world impacted by war, conflict, and disaster. Since 2019, we have supported their work to provide health care services to asylum-seekers in Mexico, including pregnant and postpartum women, to ensure they have access to critical maternity care. And now, they’re working to strengthen and support Ukraine’s health care system to respond to the crisis.
Global Response Management is coordinating closely with host governments and NGO partners to provide supplies and protective equipment for health care workers, train providers at adult and pediatric hospitals to treat traumas, and support facilities in setting up patient evacuation pathways in Ukraine. They’re also building a roster of qualified clinicians in the U.S. who are prepared to travel to Ukraine and Poland and provide medical care at the request of the Ukrainian government
To support their urgent work, Every Mother Counts has issued a $25,000 emergency grant.
You can learn more about Global Response Management and their work to help health care personnel, mothers, and families impacted by the war on Ukraine, and how you can support them alongside Every Mother Counts below.
Every Mother Counts will continue to identify how to best support mothers and families most at risk.
As the crisis in Ukraine evolves, Every Mother Counts will continue to connect with trusted partners and NGOs in the region to learn about ongoing response efforts, needs on the ground, and how we can best support their efforts.
In keeping with our mission, Every Mother Counts provides organizations operating in crisis and conflict zones with emergency grants where and when they are needed. From local women’s networks supplying relief to women and girls in Afghanistan to health care workers saving lives in Ukraine, we support the efforts of organizations providing care and support despite perilous circumstances.
Due to the urgent nature of the situation in Ukraine, we encourage direct donations to Global Response Management to ensure an immediate flow of funds.
You can make a difference. Share Global Response Management with friends and family.
Photo Credit: Lynsey Addario for The New York Times.