On Alice Radio: A Conversation with Pam Barnes

“Our goal is to be sure that women can have the number of children they want, and not the number of children that their circumstances dictate.”

~ President Pamela W. Barnes

Last week, Alice Radio (97.3) in San Francisco featured Pam Barnes on its Sunday Magazine program to discuss the top reproductive health challenges facing women today and what EngenderHealth is doing to address them.

Listen to the  interview here. Or, skip to the topics that interest you:

01:30 …on advocating for national policies that promote women’s health
03:06 …on global progress in women’s health

05:25 …on the benefits of investing in women

07:17 …on engaging men to support women’s health

09:45 …on EngenderHealth’s work to address women’s health through comprehensive & integrated services

11:30 …on meeting the needs of women living with HIV, including family planning and preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV

13:12 …on Gender Matters, our teenage pregnancy prevention program that addresses gender norms among adolescents in Austin, Texas

15:45 …on why issues across the globe should matter to Americans

18:25 …on what YOU can do to support EngenderHealth’s work to improve women’s reproductive health

Maternal Health: On the Mind and In the Media

Mother’s Day may be over, but our work to improve mothers’ health isn’t!

Check out what we’ve been reading here at EngenderHealth—a selection of our favorite articles on and around Mother’s Day.

1. In the Huffington Post, the head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) reminds us that even strong mothers need continued support in reproductive health care.
2. New estimates from the United Nations reveal a near 50% decline in annual maternal deaths between 1990 and 2010.
3. Ms. Magazine explains why celebrating birth control on Mother’s Day isn’t as counterintuitive as it sounds.
4. New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof highlights the plight of women living with fistula. EngenderHealth has also provided nearly 20,000 fistula repairs around the world to date.
5. In Newsweek magazine, philanthropist Melinda Gates unveils her new crusade and why she’s making family planning her “signature issue.”
6. Women Deliver celebrated the lifesaving work of midwives on May 5, the International Day of the Midwife.
7. USA Today discusses the U.S. ranking in the annual report on the State of the World’s Mothers.

Global Progress in Reducing Maternal Mortality

The number of women who are dying in pregnancy and childbirth is on the decline, according to new estimates released by the United Nations today.

Over the last 20 years, the number of annual maternal deaths has dropped by nearly 50%, falling from 543,000 in 1990 to 287,000 in 2010. This achievement is a testament to the global efforts undertaken to support mothers' health.

While global progress has been made, particularly in East Asia, many countries will not achieve Millennium Development Goal 5, which seeks to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The new estimates are developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the World Bank.

Read the full report here. Also, learn more about how EngenderHealth supports maternal health programs around the world.

This Mother's Day: Plant a Flower to Support Maternal Health!

Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Check out this video on what you can do to honor a special mother, grandmother, sister, or friend, while also supporting the health of mothers around the world.

It's simple: Just plant a FREE flower in our virtual garden and post a photo. The honoree will receive a personalized video letting her know that you are thinking of her.

Best of all, for every flower planted, a generous donor will give $5 to EngenderHealth’s maternal health programs to support women around the world!