EngenderHealth Announces the Director of the Maternal Health Task Force

February 27, 2009, NEW YORK – EngenderHealth announced today that Ann K. Blanc, Ph.D., will serve as the Director of the Maternal Health Task Force, a new EngenderHealth project funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Blanc is a demographer with a strong record and reputation in research, training, grant making, and strategic thinking focused on sexual and reproductive health, including maternal health.

“Dr. Ann Blanc is superbly qualified to lead the Maternal Health Task Force so that it becomes a vital resource and catalyst for addressing the key challenges to improving maternal health in countries where maternal mortality and morbidity remain unacceptably high,” said Ana Langer, M.D., President of EngenderHealth and Senior Advisor to the Maternal Health Task Force. “We look forward to Ann’s leadership in implementing the Maternal Health Task Force’s ambitious agenda and supporting developing country and global leaders who are dedicated to improving maternal health outcomes. Ann’s solid reputation and extensive experience addressing maternal health and other reproductive health issues through research, evaluation, program development, and strategic grant making both within developing countries and at the global level will be invaluable in advancing the Task Force’s agenda.”

Dr. Blanc comes to EngenderHealth after more than three years at The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, where she was a program officer in the Population and Reproductive Health Program, managing grants and developing and implementing long-term grant-making strategies focusing on maternal health. Prior to the Foundation, she was a Principal Investigator and Senior Evaluation Analyst for Macro International, Inc., on the USAID-funded MEASURE/Evaluation Project. There, she collaborated with developing country colleagues to design and implement household- and facilities-based surveys and conducted methodological research and statistical analyses to evaluate maternal and child health, family planning, and HIV and AIDS programs. Earlier at Macro International, Dr. Blanc served for more than a decade overseeing the implementation of demographic and health research in developing countries under the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program.

Dr. Blanc has served extensively as an international consultant in demographic and reproductive health research to numerous multinational, bilateral and nongovernmental organizations working internationally, including the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Pan American Health Organization, USAID, EngenderHealth, the Population Council, and the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Blanc received her doctorate degree in sociology with specialization in demography from Princeton University. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, co-authored several book chapters, produced innumerable technical reports, and is a frequent presenter at professional meetings. Active in several professional associations, Dr. Blanc is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Population Association of America.

About the Maternal Health Task Force
The Maternal Health Task Force is a project newly established by EngenderHealth with a generous three-year, $11 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Task Force will serve as a broker of ideas for a wide range of approaches to improving maternal heath, one of the most neglected areas in global health. Maternal morbidity and mortality rates remain unacceptably high across the developing world. Recognizing that real progress will require consensus, better coordination, and increased global attention, the Task Force offers a structure and process for catalyzing existing maternal health initiatives, deepening the involvement of developing country experts, engaging new organizations from allied fields, and making information more accessible to broader audiences. The Task Force will promote dialogue, elevate attention, and facilitate global coordination of the research and evidence, programming and evaluation, and policy and advocacy needed to sustain progress toward improving the lives and health of women, families, and communities around the world.

About EngenderHealth
EngenderHealth is a leading international reproductive health organization working to improve the quality of health care in the world’s poorest communities. EngenderHealth empowers people to make informed choices about contraception, trains health providers to make motherhood safer, promotes gender equity, enhances the quality of HIV and AIDS services, and advocates for positive policy change. The nonprofit organization works in partnership with governments, institutions, communities, and health care professionals in 25 countries around the world. For more than 65 years, EngenderHealth has reached more than 100 million people to help them realize a better life. For more information, visit www.engenderhealth.org.

Contacts:
Theresa Kim, EngenderHealth
tkim@engenderhealth.org

212-993-9834

Carey Meyers, EngenderHealth
cmeyers@engenderhealth.org
212-561-8463

EngenderHealth and A Walk to Beautiful

A Walk to Beautiful is the acclaimed full-length documentary about five Ethiopian women suffering from obstetric fistula. From its web site:

"The award winning feature-length documentary A Walk to Beautiful tells the stories of five Ethiopian women who suffer from devastating childbirth injuries and embark on a journey to reclaim their lost dignity. Rejected by their husbands and ostracized by their communities, these women are left to spend the rest of their lives in loneliness and shame. They make the choice to take the long and arduous journey to the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in search of a cure and a new life."

EngenderHealth is pleased to announce that it is one of several organizations named in the new Action Guide (PDF, 1.0mb) produced to accompany the documentary, thanks to our work to repair and prevent this condition.

Also check out our series of digital stories, Learn From My Story: Women Confront Fistula in Rural Uganda, in which fistula survivors share their stories and medical staff talk about the issues they face (also available on YouTube).

Making Your List of Top Ten Nonprofits

An article on Fast Company today mentions EngenderHealth in a list of top ten nonprofits, along with advice on choosing a nonprofit to support:

"Choosing your Top Ten nonprofits is very personal. Consider these points as you decide:

1. "What the organization does – the mission and work has to be personally meaningful to you;
2. "The programs – they need to demonstrate their effectiveness in solving the problem
3. "Caliber of the CEO – the CEO must be an expert and a highly effective leader;
4. "Caliber of the board – and especially the board chair/president – for an organization to do its best, the board should be engaged and supportive – and the board should include people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives;
5. "Budget – most nonprofit revenues are stressed right now; the question is whether there is core funding from a solid base, and whether there is active CEO and board involvement in building viable, new revenue opportunities – through philanthropy, or fees for services, or government sources. Even if that’s not the case, perhaps you can help if you are passionate about the mission. Just be aware of how challenging the situation is.
6. "Where you can add value."
   

The full article is online.

EngenderHealth Joins Global Impact

EngenderHealth is one of three organizations that recently joined the Global Impact Fundraising Network. "We are pleased to welcome and to extend our funding to these additional charities," said Renee S. Acosta, president and CEO of Global Impact. "Each of these organizations is outstanding in the field of international relief and development, and their work enhances and complements the programs and services offered by our other 52 member charities. Their commitment to delivering results to people in need and their commitment to ethical and transparent operating principles make them natural partners for Global Impact."

For more information, read the Global Impact press release.

EngenderHealth Leads HIV Project to Reach At-Risk Urban Population in Ethiopia

EngenderHealth has been awarded a three-year, $6 million project from the U.S. Agency for International Development to expand HIV prevention services among Ethiopian adults and young people involved in or at risk of transactional sex—those who exchange sex for money or goods. Activities will be focused in select urban areas and reach both those engaged in sex work and informal transactional sex, as well as their clients and partners.

EngenderHealth will launch a comprehensive package of HIV prevention services, including: peer education, condom distribution and promotion, stigma reduction, mobile testing and counseling, and drop-in centers for vulnerable women and girls. Recognizing that many women and girls rely on transactional sex because they have few alternatives for making a living, the project will also incorporate income-generation activities.

“By bringing HIV prevention services to venues associated with transactional sex, we can reach the women and men most at risk—and address the underlying factors, like alcohol abuse and limited access to condoms and other information and services, that go hand-in-hand with HIV transmission,” said Paul Perchal, director of EngenderHealth’s HIV program.

EngenderHealth will lead a team of partners to implement this project, including the local organizations: Timret Le Hiwot, Integrated Services for AIDS Prevention and Support Organization, and Addis Continental Institute of Public Health.

Through this award, EngenderHealth will also receive additional funds to continue the Male Norms Initiative in Ethiopia, which began in 2007. This work will complement the project, addressing the significant role that gender socialization plays in HIV transmission. The new funding will expand activities that challenge men’s attitudes and behaviors that contribute to higher risk for acquiring or spreading HIV, while engaging men and young people in prevention efforts.

About EngenderHealth
EngenderHealth is a leading international reproductive health organization working to improve the quality of health care in the world’s poorest communities. EngenderHealth empowers people to make informed choices about contraception, trains health providers to make motherhood safer, promotes gender equity, enhances the quality of HIV and AIDS services, and advocates for positive policy change. The nonprofit organization works in partnership with governments, institutions, communities, and health care professionals in 25 countries around the world. For 65 years, EngenderHealth has reached more than 100 million people to help them realize a better life. For more information, visit www.engenderhealth.org.

For more information, contact: Paul Perchal at pperchal@engenderhealth.org or (212) 561-9831, or Sharone Beatty at sbeatty@engenderhealth.org or (212) 561-8022.

Dr. Denis Mukwege: Finding Hope Where There Is Little

The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has devastated women’s health and lives in many ways. Women continue to be brutalized by rape and sexual violence—the prevalence of which is considered to be the world’s worst. And due to the threat of violence, women have limited mobility, and many are unable to get the basic or emergency obstetric care they need, resulting in unnecessary maternal deaths and injuries. But one man, Dr. Denis Mukwege, is helping to bring hope in the DRC by healing women with fistula, a devastating vaginal injury.

As a founder and director of Panzi Hospital in Bukavu, Dr. Mukwege and his team offer a safe space where women suffering from fistula—which can be caused by sexual violence as well as by injuries sustained during prolonged childbirth—can be surgically repaired. Panzi Hospital is the first of its kind in the area. As the conflict in the DRC has escalated, so too has the number of fistula survivors. Dr. Mukwege and the Panzi staff have risen to the challenge: More than 3,500 women are treated annually at Panzi, and over 500 fistula repair surgeries were performed from 2006 to September 2008.

Dr. Mukwege is all too familiar with the complex situation in the DRC. Growing up there, he knew he wanted to be a doctor from a young age, when he accompanied his father, who was a pastor, on visits to members of the community who were ill. After he became an obstetrician-gynecologist, he fully recognized how desperately maternal and reproductive health services were needed.

In recognition of his dedication, he was awarded the United Nations Prize in the Field of Human Rights in 2008. A fierce advocate for women, Dr. Mukwege is also committed to preventing sexual violence, addressing the psychosocial factors that lead to gender-based violence. He often speaks out about how and what men need to do to stop it.

The Fistula Care Project, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and led by EngenderHealth, will assist in training doctors and nurses in obstetric care and help Panzi Hospital continue its work in fistula repair in the region.

Listen to an interview with Dr. Mukwege on National Public Radio.

An inspiring speaker, in the coming weeks Dr. Mukwege will appear with playwright Eve Ensler at several events across the United States as part of the “Turning Pain to Power” tour by the V-Day Campaign, a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. A conversation with Dr. Mukwege and Eve Ensler will be held at the 92nd Street Y in New York on February 11. Tickets are available online.

New Videos: Digital Stories from Namibia

Watch our newest digital stories from Namibia, where EngenderHealth and Lifeline/Childline hosted a storytelling workshop that included participants like Teopolina. After becoming a mother at 19, Teopolina is now a gender and HIV activist.