tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40566894116644331312023-08-27T09:28:27.950-04:00The EngenderHealth BlogThe latest news from and about EngenderHealth, a leading international nonprofit working in sexual and reproductive health.EngenderHealthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15404656104840145158noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-16715168515981686682012-06-18T09:36:00.000-04:002012-06-19T11:03:16.932-04:00Support Women's Health: Help Us Reach our Twitter Milestone!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COF21N7eJ3s/T9pAL_uXy6I/AAAAAAAAAFo/VXC9DCJkkuQ/s1600/twitter-bird-blue-on-white.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COF21N7eJ3s/T9pAL_uXy6I/AAAAAAAAAFo/VXC9DCJkkuQ/s200/twitter-bird-blue-on-white.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">EngenderHealth is just about 500 followers away from reaching a new milestone on <a href="http://www.twitter.com/engenderhealth">Twitter</a>: 5,000 followers!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To give us a little boost toward that goal, a generous donor has agreed to provide a gift to support our work to improve women's health around the world.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">So here's the deal... </span><span style="font-size: small;">Between now and the moment we reach 5,000 followers (or until we hit our gift ceiling), an anonymous donor will give</span><span style="font-size: small;">:</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">- $2 for every new <a href="http://www.twitter.com/engenderhealth">@EngenderHealth</a> follow</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">- $1 for every retweet</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The donation will help advance our <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/about/mission.php">mission </a>of improving sexual and reproductive health for women and girls around the world, including through investments in <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/">maternal health</a>, <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/family-planning/">family planning</a>, <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/">HIV and AIDS</a>, and <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/gender/">gender equality</a>.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">It's simple ... and free. Show your support for women's health today by sharing this post to your followers or retweeting us. Or, if you're feeling generous, you can also make an online donation on EngenderHealth's web site.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">A huge thanks to all of our followers for your continued support. And don't forget to follow us on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/engenderhealth">Facebook,</a> along with our brand new <a href="http://pinterest.com/engenderhealth">Pinterest</a> account.</span>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-63290506031977363702012-06-04T17:25:00.000-04:002012-06-04T17:25:53.028-04:00House, Senate at Odds on FY2013 Global Family Planning Budget, UNFPA, Global Gag Rule<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The House and Senate appropriations committees approved their respective fiscal year 2013 budgets for global family planning assistance, setting the stage for heated negotiations later this year.<br /><br />While the House voted to cut international family planning funding to $461 million (nearly 25% below current levels and more than $180 million below President Barack Obama’s request), the Senate is looking to increase the family planning budget to $700 million. The proposed cuts by the House would deny contraceptive services to some 7.7 million women and couples, resulting in 2.2 million more unintended pregnancies and more than 745,000 unsafe abortions, according to an <a href="http://www.guttmacher.org/media/resources/FB-Family-Planning-Assistance.pdf">analysis</a> by the Guttmacher Institute.<br /><br />The two houses are also at odds over funding the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). The House seeks to defund the UNFPA (the world’s largest multilateral source of population assistance), while the Senate allocated $44.5 million to support it.<br /><br />A third point of contention in the bill involves the <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/media/press-releases/definition-global-gag-rule.php">Global Gag Rule</a> (GGR), a policy that has been proved to harm women’s health worldwide. Also known as the Mexico City Policy, the GGR denies U.S. aid to any overseas organization that promotes or offers abortion services, even if the services are legal in the country and funded with non-U.S. money.<br /><br />While the House Appropriations Committee proposed to codify the GGR, the Senate Appropriations Committee <a href="http://www.lautenberg.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=336862&">voted</a> to permanently repeal the GGR, through an amendment introduced by Committee Chairman Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ). First introduced by President Ronald Reagan in 1984, the policy has been repealed and reinstated by different administrations through executive order.<br /><br />The GGR has had a detrimental effect on women’s health. A recent <a href="http://www.who.int/bulletin/11-091660.pdf">study</a> by researchers at Stanford University found a dramatic rise in induced abortions in the African countries that experienced the greatest funding cuts as a result of the policy. Reduced access to reproductive health services may have led women to substitute abortion for contraception. Every year, more than 20 million women resort to <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2811%2961786-8/fulltext">unsafe abortions</a>, which account for 46,500 annual deaths—13% of all maternal deaths.<br /><br />The full House and Senate will vote on their respective bills before ironing out a single budget for signature by President Obama.</span></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-650506574205834462012-05-18T13:15:00.000-04:002012-05-18T13:19:20.741-04:00On Alice Radio: A Conversation with Pam Barnes<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rvu_hy3CTos/T7ZqRfVCumI/AAAAAAAAAFA/vZfRlL8MlQk/s1600/barnes-pamela-v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Rvu_hy3CTos/T7ZqRfVCumI/AAAAAAAAAFA/vZfRlL8MlQk/s1600/barnes-pamela-v2.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“<i>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</i>.”</span></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">~ <b>President Pamela W. Barnes</b></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">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 <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/">EngenderHealth</a> is doing to address them.</span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Listen to the interview <a href="http://radioalice.cbslocal.com/?podcast_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.podtrac.com%2Fpts%2Fredirect.mp3%2Fnyc.podcast.play.it%2Fmedia%2Fd0%2Fd0%2Fd1%2Fd0%2FdG%2FdM%2Fd8%2F10GM8_3.MP3&podcast_name=EngenderHealth&podcast_artist=KLLC-FM&station_id=&audio_link=true&config_file=config.xml&dcid=CBS.MUSIC.KLLCFM">here</a>. Or, skip to the topics that interest you:</span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>01:30</b> …on advocating for national policies that promote women’s health</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b>03:06</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"></span>…on global progress in women’s health</span></span><br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">05:25</span></span></b></span><b> </b>…on the benefits of investing in women</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>07:17 </b>…on <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/gender/">engaging men</a> to support women’s health</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>09:45</b> …on EngenderHealth’s work to address women’s health through <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/integration.php">comprehensive & integrated</a> services</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>11:30 </b>…on meeting the needs of women living with HIV, including family planning and <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/pmtct.php">preventing mother-to-child transmission</a> (PMTCT) of HIV</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>13:12 </b>…on <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/major-projects/gender-matters.php">Gender Matters</a>, our teenage pregnancy prevention program that addresses gender norms among adolescents in Austin, Texas</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>15:45 </b>…on why issues across the globe should matter to Americans</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>18:25 </b>…on what YOU can do to <a href="https://secure.engenderhealth.org/o/1222/p/d/engenderhealth/donations/public/secure-donation-v3-x2.sjs">support </a>EngenderHealth’s work to improve women’s reproductive health</span></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-30119491565579520662012-05-17T11:04:00.000-04:002012-05-18T13:16:35.817-04:00Maternal Health: On the Mind and In the Media<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4SU92yEumvM/T7USNwJ1GnI/AAAAAAAAAE0/f3aAxN9FoCo/s1600/Innocents.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4SU92yEumvM/T7USNwJ1GnI/AAAAAAAAAE0/f3aAxN9FoCo/s200/Innocents.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Mother’s Day may be over, but our work to improve mothers’ health isn’t!</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
Check out what we’ve been reading here at <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/">EngenderHealth</a>—a selection of our favorite articles on and around Mother’s Day.</div>
<ol style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<li>In the Huffington Post, the head of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-babatunde-osotimehin/mothers-day-2012-giving-birth-_b_1502135.html">reminds</a> us that even strong mothers need continued support in reproductive health care. </li>
<li>New estimates from the United Nations <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/16/health/maternal-deaths-plunged-over-2-decades-un-reports.html">reveal</a> a near 50% decline in annual maternal deaths between 1990 and 2010. </li>
<li>Ms. Magazine <a href="http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2012/05/11/celebrating-birth-control-on-mothers-day-not-as-counterintuitive-as-it-sounds/">explains</a> why celebrating birth control on Mother’s Day isn’t as counterintuitive as it sounds.</li>
<li>New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/13/opinion/sunday/kristof-saving-the-lives-of-moms.html">highlights</a> the plight of women living with <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/fistula.php">fistula</a>. EngenderHealth has also provided nearly <a href="http://www.fistulacare.org/pages/index.php">20,000 fistula repairs</a> around the world to date.</li>
<li>In Newsweek magazine, philanthropist Melinda Gates <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/05/06/melinda-gates-new-crusade-investing-billions-in-women-s-health.html">unveils</a> her new crusade and why she’s making <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/family-planning/">family planning</a> her “signature issue.”</li>
<li>Women Deliver <a href="http://www.womendeliver.org/updates/entry/midwives-around-the-world-recognized-on-may-5/">celebrated</a> the lifesaving work of midwives on May 5, the International Day of the Midwife.</li>
<li>USA Today <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-05-08/state-of-worlds-mothers/54819990/1">discusses</a> the U.S. ranking in the annual report on the <a href="http://www.savethechildrenweb.org/SOWM2012Interactive/SOWM2012_2/index.html">State of the World’s Mothers</a>.</li>
</ol>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-83220497900406745832012-05-16T12:06:00.000-04:002012-05-18T13:18:15.390-04:00Global Progress in Reducing Maternal Mortality<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
The number of women who are dying in pregnancy and childbirth is on the decline, according to <a href="http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/news/pid/10730">new estimates</a> released by the United Nations today.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
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. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WbMHl8aIMqM/T7PISX4Z34I/AAAAAAAAAEo/9_mcsDPGeEk/s1600/Engender+4-12+Manyara-190.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WbMHl8aIMqM/T7PISX4Z34I/AAAAAAAAAEo/9_mcsDPGeEk/s400/Engender+4-12+Manyara-190.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
While global progress has been made, particularly in East Asia, many countries will not achieve <a href="http://www.who.int/topics/millennium_development_goals/maternal_health/en/index.html">Millennium Development Goal 5</a>, which seeks to reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters by 2015. Most of these countries are in Sub-Saharan Africa. </div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
The new estimates are developed by the World Health Organization (WHO), UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and the World
Bank.</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; text-align: justify;">
Read the full report <a href="http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/mothers/MMEstimates2012">here</a>. Also, <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/">learn more</a> about how EngenderHealth supports maternal health programs around the world. </div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-75255883265601972262012-05-10T14:25:00.001-04:002012-05-18T13:18:47.686-04:00This Mother's Day: Plant a Flower to Support Maternal Health!<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Mother’s Day is just around the corner! Check out this <a href="http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150899984694587">video</a> on what <a href="http://bit.ly/JMugT8">you can do</a> to honor a special mother, grandmother, sister, or friend, while also supporting the health of mothers around the world.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<object height="280" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" />
<param name="movie" value="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150899984694587" />
<embed src="http://www.facebook.com/v/10150899984694587" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="280"></embed></object>
<br />
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />It's simple: <b>Just <a href="http://bit.ly/JMugT8">plant a FREE flower</a> in our virtual garden and post a photo. </b>The honoree will receive a personalized video letting her know that you are thinking of her.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Best of all, for every flower planted, a generous donor will give $5 to EngenderHealth’s <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/">maternal health</a> programs to support women around the world!</span></div>
<br />Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-4115331722930817702012-04-04T14:25:00.001-04:002012-04-04T14:25:33.687-04:00What’s the Word on Family Planning? What U.S. Leaders Are Saying<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">As the budget debate ramps up for fiscal year 2013, officials from the U.S. Department of State are promoting priorities for global health, including for reproductive health. Below are excerpts from recent public statements made by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah, and Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Melanne Verveer on the critical importance of family planning:<br /><br /><b>Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State</b><br /><i>In response to Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) on the costs of cutting global family planning programs, during a February 28 Senate Appropriations Committee hearing:</i></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;">The cost is financial. The cost is in women’s lives. The cost is to undermine what many of the very same opponents claim as their priority, namely to prevent abortions. We want to stay focused on improving maternal and child health and there is no doubt at all that family planning services are absolutely essential to improving both maternal and child health. Working through our government, with other governments, with NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], with expertise, capacity, proven track records, we have made a big difference in women’s health.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Global estimates, Senator, indicate that by helping women space births and avoid unintended pregnancy, family planning has the potential of preventing 25 % of the maternal and child deaths in the developing world.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Family planning is the best we way we have to prevent unintended pregnancies and abortion. I know that it is a very controversial issue but numerous studies have shown that the incidence of abortion decreases when women have access to contraception. Therefore, I strongly support what this administration is doing in trying to provide the means to improve the health of women and children around the world.</span></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>Dr. Rajiv Shah, Administrator, USAID</b><br /><i>In response to Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) on making family planning less controversial, during a March 6 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:</i></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;">We know that our history of program support in family planning has been one of our most successful areas of work.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We have seen in country after country a common pattern that gets you to a place where you have a better demographic situation for development, and that is first, a significant reduction in child mortality. And we know when that happens, people and families invest more in kids, get them in school and it becomes a pathway out of poverty. And then it is generally followed by a long-term and more effective approach to family planning and reducing the total fertility rate in countries. And the combination of those things has been a major part of the development success story in nearly every success story we see around the world. It’s incredibly important.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">We’ve seen in our own programs that effective birth spacing reduces maternal and child mortality by 25 percent and we think they are a relatively noncontroversial way to achieve that outcome, simply as part of having trained community health workers, the same people visiting homes making sure kids who are malnourished have access to protein and micronutrients, also engaging in conversations about just the facts related to the effectiveness of that approach.</span></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>Melanne Verveer, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues</b><br /><i>In a March 15 interview with CNN:</i> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;">Family planning is one of the best public health interventions that can be made. It makes such a difference in a woman’s life for her to be able to have the wherewithal—the family planning contraceptives available so that she can decide the size and the spacing of her children.</span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> It is about her health. It is about her future. It is about the betterment of her family. And where it has become available in ways in which women want to utilize it, they know it is so important to the quality of life for them.</span>
<span style="font-size: small;">So certainly in societies there are those who say, “Well, there's no place for this.” But I think we all know this a sound public health tool. It is one we support. It is part of the Global Health Initiative that the United States has been supporting.</span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It brings down the numbers of abortions around the world. And it is just unfathomable that women can't get the access that they need so that they can have healthier lives, healthier families, and be able to do a great deal more for their families, for their communities, and for themselves because they're deprived of it. So we need to be making every effort to make it more available.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Family planning is one of the best public health interventions that can be made. It makes such a difference in a woman’s life for her to be able to have the wherewithal—the family planning contraceptives available so that she can decide the size and the spacing of her children.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It is about her health. It is about her future. It is about the betterment of her family. And where it has become available in ways in which women want to utilize it, they know it is so important to the quality of life for them.</span>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">So certainly in societies there are those who say, “Well, there's no place for this.” But I think we all know this a sound public health tool. It is one we support. It is part of the Global Health Initiative that the United States has been supporting.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">It brings down the numbers of abortions around the world. And it is just unfathomable that women can't get the access that they need so that they can have healthier lives, healthier families, and be able to do a great deal more for their families, for their communities, and for themselves because they're deprived of it. So we need to be making every effort to make it more available.</span></blockquote>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-15204041057466349692012-03-22T13:50:00.000-04:002012-03-23T13:52:32.491-04:00EngenderHealth Receives Award from Manhattan Young Democrats<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">On March 21, <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/">EngenderHealth </a>received an award from the <a href="http://gomyd.com/">Manhattan Young Democrats</a> (MYD) for our work to improve the quality of reproductive health care around the world. EngenderHealth President Pamela Barnes accepted the award on behalf of the organization at <a href="https://secure.actblue.com/page/ep3">Engendering Progress</a>, MYD’s third annual event honoring women leaders, activists, and entrepreneurs.<br /><br />MYD is an all-volunteer organization committed to educating and activating young progressives for social change. Also in attendance at the event was <a href="http://www.ihollaback.org/">Hollaback!</a>, a movement dedicated to ending street harassment using mobile technology, and <a href="http://www.catalyst.org/">Catalyst</a>, a nonprofit organization expanding opportunities for women and business.</span></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-7884409365335843942012-03-15T10:12:00.000-04:002012-03-15T18:30:49.035-04:00True Heroes of the Congo<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">When Dr. Christophe Kimona treated a young mother for her fistula recently, he repaired more than just her body—she said he restored her spirit. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />“I am motivated by compassion for women who have no other sources of support,” Dr. Kimona said. “It is satisfying to aid my fellow countrymen and women.”</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />His colleagues agree that “it is the work of the heart.” Dr. Kimona, Dr. Mukwege, Dr. Amisi, Dr. Nembunzu, Dr. Ahuka, Dr. Manga, Dr. Mubikayi, Dr. Tchangou, Dr. Denon, Dr. Aime-Manga—these are the names of some of the dedicated surgeons who are healing women living with obstetric fistula in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). They are few in number.</span><br />
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDnYAcqwlDk/T2Jp6wKcLLI/AAAAAAAAAD4/dWuaD8syTDQ/s1600/053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MDnYAcqwlDk/T2Jp6wKcLLI/AAAAAAAAAD4/dWuaD8syTDQ/s200/053.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">Patients come to them in despair, many having been abandoned by their husbands or family and sometimes having lost their will to live. Many have endured years of isolation because of their fistula, a devastating condition in which a hole develops between the birthing canal and the bladder or rectum, causing chronic incontinence. Fistula can result from prolonged or obstructed labor when women lack access to emergency obstetric care. In the Eastern Congo, a region plagued by years of conflict, fistula has also been caused by sexual violence. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Yet, in the face of the most difficult circumstances, these surgeons, together with their teams of nurses, anesthetists, social workers, and administrators, find a way every day to restore dignity and hope for women.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />These are the individuals whom U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls “true heroes” in the Congo—a selfless breed of surgeons, nurses, and other staff who dedicate themselves to giving women with fistula a second chance at a fulfilling, productive life.<br /> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<b><span style="font-size: small;">A Community of Practice</span></b></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Last week, for the third year in a row, these surgeons came together with staff from the Ministry of Health and others who provide care and advocate for women with fistula to review progress in providing these services in the Congo. Coinciding with International Women’s Day, the March 8-9 meeting was hosted by <a href="http://www.fistulacare.org/">Fistula Care</a> (managed by <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/">EngenderHealth</a> and funded by USAID) and Panzi Hospital, a facility supported by the project in Bukavu, South Kivu Province of Eastern Congo. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FAPhMdXQD-U/T2JqaRBCT9I/AAAAAAAAAEI/FGTbLXdNssQ/s1600/054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FAPhMdXQD-U/T2JqaRBCT9I/AAAAAAAAAEI/FGTbLXdNssQ/s400/054.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
</div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">On March 8, Secretary Clinton <a href="http://bit.ly/wBbK2a">sent a message</a> to the participants, commending them for their dedication: “Facing difficult challenges every single day, the surgeons and health care providers at this meeting are truly heroes, committed to supporting Congolese women and girls by providing the high-quality fistula services that are desperately needed to restore health, dignity, and lives.”</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />The community of practice (CoP) included fistula surgeons, nurses, anesthesiologists, social workers, and administrators, many of whom are women and all of whom work in fistula repair and prevention. Also present were local partners, Ministry of Health representatives, and global players such as the United Nations Population Fund, World Health Organization, and U.S. Agency for International Development.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><b>Fistula Prevention, Surgeon Training, and a National Strategy for Fistula</b></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Participants discussed the successes and obstacles of working in an environment where access to resources for surgical care is challenging. The surgeons emphasized time and again the importance of increasing access to quality emergency obstetric services to prevent fistula from happening in the first place. Mme Lucie Zikudieka from PROSANI, a USAID-funded integrated health project, reviewed with participants the recent national revision to the partograph and the plans for its introduction. The tool is used to monitor and manage women in labor and delivery to ensure that appropriate actions are taken if complications arise. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />Professor Serigne Magueye Gueye, an eminent Senegalese urologist, led a discussion on training fistula surgeons and introduced a recently completed, internationally recognized Competency-based Training Manual for Fistula Surgery. Participants agreed on the need for a formalized training strategy for fistula surgery as part of a national strategy to address obstetric fistula, which participants also reviewed. Women’s health advocates have long fought for a high-level plan, which would establish policies to increase access to quality fistula services. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zTEf4D6UisE/T2Jqs06Ek-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/rndyBbjiUBM/s1600/068-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zTEf4D6UisE/T2Jqs06Ek-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/rndyBbjiUBM/s1600/068-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zTEf4D6UisE/T2Jqs06Ek-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/rndyBbjiUBM/s1600/068-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zTEf4D6UisE/T2Jqs06Ek-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/rndyBbjiUBM/s200/068-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />In all, the annual CoP meetings have provided a space for surgeons, practitioners, and policy makers to work together toward a unified vision for addressing obstetric fistula. Dr. Denis Mukwege, Founder and Director of Panzi Hospital, made an impassioned plea to the Ministry of Health to urgently finalize and implement the strategy. Every day of delay means more women continue to experience this devastating condition. Fistula Care will work with the Ministry and other key stakeholders to advance the strategy within the next few months. For more information, visit <a href="http://www.fistulacare.org/">www.fistulacare.org</a>.</span></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-78148524897217964162012-03-09T13:47:00.000-05:002012-03-23T13:59:31.632-04:00EngenderHealth’s Postabortion Care Work Wins Spot in Top 50 Ideas for Women & Girls<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5WaLPk750g/T2y4qnZbLFI/AAAAAAAAAEc/ddIqJhIhsqY/s1600/wd50.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w5WaLPk750g/T2y4qnZbLFI/AAAAAAAAAEc/ddIqJhIhsqY/s200/wd50.png" width="170" /></a><span style="font-size: small;">EngenderHealth’s <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/postabortion-care.php">postabortion care work</a> has earned a spot on Women Deliver’s <a href="http://www.womendeliver.org/knowledge-center/publications/women-deliver-50/">Top 50</a> most inspiring ideas and solutions for women and girls around the world.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Launched in honor of International Women’s Day, the competition saw hundreds of submissions from 103 countries. More than 6,000 individuals voted for their favorite ideas and solutions. Thank you to all of our supporters who voted for us and made this happen!<br /><br /><i>Our Work in Postabortion Care</i><br /><br />For nearly two decades, EngenderHealth has partnered with developing country Ministries of Health to strengthen and modernize health systems to provide effective postabortion care. Abortion is severely restricted throughout most of the developing world, where more than half of all induced abortions are unsafe. Performed by unskilled people, often in unsanitary environments, such abortions account for roughly 46,500 deaths per year.<br /><br />EngenderHealth’s programs have trained more than 15,000 clinicians—from community-based health workers to physicians—to use low-tech, lifesaving tools, such as manual vacuum aspirators and misoprostol, for treatment of complications from abortion. Healthcare providers are trained to provide counseling for family planning and referrals for other reproductive health services to improve women’s health over the long term. With timely care from a trained provider, this program prevents the needless deaths of thousands of women from unsafe abortion.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">For more on our postabortion care work, visit our <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/postabortion-care.php">website</a>.</span></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-57025852216755516002012-03-07T13:45:00.000-05:002012-03-07T13:45:16.972-05:00On the Hill: Recent Legislative Actions for Women’s Reproductive Health and Rights<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:TargetScreenSize>800x600</o:TargetScreenSize>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>The U.S. Senate last month addressed
a number of issues affecting the health and rights of women and girls, including
a bill against child marriage passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee,
a vote by the Senate Judiciary Committee to renew the landmark Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA), as well as a new campaign by Democratic Senators, <a href="http://www.democratsenators.org/o/44/p/dia/action/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=369">One
Million Strong for Women</a>, in response to recent political attacks on
women’s health and rights.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" Name="Hyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span>Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passes Child Marriage
Bill</span></b><span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>The Senate Foreign Relations
Committee passed a bill seeking to protect girls in developing countries by ending
child marriage. Introduced by Senators </span><a href="http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/pressreleases?ID=2b139cf5-03b6-4953-ae99-7e6139c219f3"><span>Dick Durbin</span></a><span>
(D-IL) and Olympia Snow (R-ME), the International Protecting Girls by
Preventing Child Marriage Act (</span><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s414/show"><span>S.414</span></a><span>) would require the U.S.
government to develop a strategy toward ending the practice and authorize the President
to provide assistance to reduce child marriage. In late 2012, a similar bill
passed unanimously in the Senate but was blocked in the House of
Representatives.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span>Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Landmark Domestic
Violence Bill</span></b><span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>The Senate Judiciary
Committee voted to reauthorize the U.S. Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a
landmark and historically bipartisan bill first signed by President Bill
Clinton in 1994. The bill (</span><a href="http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1925/show"><span>S.1925</span></a><span>) seeks to improve law
enforcement’s capacity to respond to reports of domestic violence and sexual
assault and to improve protections for victims. In 2000 and 2005, the bill was reauthorized
with bipartisan support. But this year, for first time, the bill received a
party-line vote of 10-8 in committee. The legislation is now on the calendar
for consideration by the full Senate.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b><span>Congressional Democrats Launch “One Million Strong for
Women” Campaign</span></b><span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span>In a collective response to
recent attacks on women’s health and rights, including abortion rights,
contraception, and Planned Parenthood, 16 Democratic senators and
representatives have launched </span><a href="http://www.democratsenators.org/o/44/p/dia/action/public/index.sjs?action_KEY=369"><span>One Million Strong for Women</span></a><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span>,</span></span><span> a campaign that reaffirms their commitment to
protecting women’s health and rights. To date, nearly 270,000 people have
signed the campaign in support of the cause.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b></b></span><br />Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-4079772571030895272012-02-08T14:59:00.000-05:002012-02-08T14:59:17.176-05:00Is CEDAW Making a Difference in Women’s Rights and Equality?<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Question</b>: What does the United
States have in common with Iran, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Palau, and Tonga?<b> </b></span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Answer</b>:
None has committed to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)—the most comprehensive global
treaty affirming the human rights of women.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlbmNOV-XpU/TzGQiEkGebI/AAAAAAAAADs/FVfZlZeVtI0/s1600/cedaw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="128" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AlbmNOV-XpU/TzGQiEkGebI/AAAAAAAAADs/FVfZlZeVtI0/s200/cedaw.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This
month, an international committee will convene in Geneva, Switzerland, to
review country-level progress in implementing the landmark convention. Slated
for February 13–March 2, the 51st Session of the Committee on the Elimination
of Discrimination against Women will review reports on women’s rights submitted
by nations that have ratified CEDAW, a periodic exercise to assess whether
CEDAW is helping to advance women’s rights and where improvements could be made.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To date,
the United States remains the only developed country in the world that has not
ratified the treaty, in spite of having assisted in drafting the document in
the 1970s. Proponents of CEDAW point to the treaty’s successes in advancing
women’s rights globally—including in Bangladesh, where CEDAW was used to attain
gender equality in schools, and in Mexico, where treaty language was used in a
law prohibiting gender-based violence that was later passed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Skeptics
in the U.S. Congress have questioned the vagueness of the treaty language,
looking to attach qualifications known as “reservations, understandings, and
declarations” (RUDs), including the understanding that ratification would not
create a right to abortion or compel the government to extend maternity leave.<span class="MsoHyperlink"></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Looking Back on CEDAW in the United States</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After
taking office in 2009, President Barack Obama included CEDAW in his list of
five priority multilateral treaties, calling it an “important priority.” No
advances have been made toward ratification to date. Becoming an official party
to CEDAW would require the president’s signature, along with at least two-thirds
support (67 votes) within the U.S. Senate.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">On two
previous occasions, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted favorably for
the treaty with bipartisan support—in 1994 (13-5) under President Bill Clinton
and in 2002 (12-7) under President George W. Bush. But since its adoption by
the United Nations in 1979, CEDAW has never been brought before the full Senate
for a vote. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter had also signed the treaty, but
without the Senate support needed for official ratification.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The most
recent legislative action on the issue was a bill introduced in the U.S. House by
Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) about one year ago, promoting Senate support for the treaty.
No further action was taken after it was referred to the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee
on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights. Previously, in November 2010, Sen.
Dick Durbin (D-IL) chaired the first Senate hearing on the issue since 2002,
but came short of bringing the issue before the full Senate.</span></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-80432477205178857652012-02-07T14:49:00.000-05:002012-02-07T16:08:22.018-05:00…And the Shorty Awards Winner for Best #Charity in Social Media is _____________<div class="tr_bq" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4rMxmKttDo/TzFVm2BIWPI/AAAAAAAAADk/qE7nxcB63cw/s1600/shorty_badge_125x125_us.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-R4rMxmKttDo/TzFVm2BIWPI/AAAAAAAAADk/qE7nxcB63cw/s1600/shorty_badge_125x125_us.bmp" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">Help us fill in this
blank with <a href="http://www.twitter.com/engenderhealth">@EngenderHealth</a>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We’ve been <a href="http://shortyawards.com/engenderhealth">nominated </a>for a 2012 Shorty Award for Best
#Charity in Social Media. Every year, the Shorty Awards honors the best
producers of short content on social media. Learn more about these awards <a href="http://shortyawards.com/about">here</a>. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We’ve enjoyed sharing
our work and passion for reproductive health in the form of 140-character text bytes. Now,
we’re asking YOU to craft one for us!</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Please take 1 minute to <a href="http://shortyawards.com/EngenderHealth">cast a vote</a> and give
a reason: </span></div>
<blockquote style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span><span style="font-size: small;">“I nominate @EngenderHealth for a Shorty Award in #charity because... <i><fill in the blank></i>”</span></blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">After you’re done, pass the word on! Shorty Awards makes it easy to </span><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://shortyawards.com/EngenderHealth/promote">tweet it, share it, forward it</a>. Check out some other <a href="http://shortyawards.com/EngenderHealth/promote">free promotional tools</a> on our profile page.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Many thanks from EngenderHealth!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: small;">
</span>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-26191968056795410452012-01-13T11:40:00.000-05:002012-02-07T16:09:14.663-05:00EngenderHealth on the Move<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">International conferences are always on our agenda. But this
winter has been particularly busy so far, with staff attending the
<a href="http://www.fpconference2011.org/">International Conference on Family Planning</a> in Dakar,
Senegal, and the <a href="http://www.icasa2011addis.org/">International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa</a> (ICASA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Since our field staff cannot
pack you in their suitcases and take you with them—they’re just not that
strong!—we asked them to tell you a little about their experiences now that
they are back home. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw80szOQeI8/TxBcB1ydCJI/AAAAAAAAADQ/DtQn9lID4fA/s1600/icfp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="74" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Iw80szOQeI8/TxBcB1ydCJI/AAAAAAAAADQ/DtQn9lID4fA/s320/icfp.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<u><b><span style="font-size: small;">2011 International Conference on Family Planning, Dakar: JAWEER BROWN (Technical Advisor, Family Planning)</span></b></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">What were some of your favorite moments from the conference,
and why?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">One of my personal highlights from the conference was a
presentation by a young activist living with HIV. He really moved me and set
the stage for my experience in Dakar.
Against the backdrop of a large tent and competing with the rumblings of an
enthusiastic audience, the activist reminded us of the human face behind the
words <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/family-planning/">family planning</a>, <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/">HIV</a>, systems strengthening, development, and all the
jargon we use in our work. He represented the lives of so many we refer to as
“client,” ”population,” or ”user.” With a palpable candor and passion, he pressed
us to adhere to our commitments to make real change and embodied the purpose of
our work: to meet the urgent sexual and reproductive health needs of young people
like him. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">Were there any takeaways from discussions surrounding the
issue of HIV risk and hormonal injections?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Going into the conference, we knew the facts surrounding
this important issue. An important takeaway that emerged on this topic,
however, is the fact that we may never have conclusive evidence about a link
between hormonal contraceptives and HIV risk. Strong leadership, therefore, is vital
for proceeding within this uncertainty. This will involve investing more
resources and attention to expand the contraceptive choices available to women
and increase access to a wide method mix, including long-acting and permanent
methods of family planning.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">What other research highlights received special attention
from conference participants? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I am a tech geek in disguise, and I really enjoyed a presentation
on new contraceptive technologies. Two innovations in particular caught my eye:
the microbicide/hormonal contraceptive ring, and the development of a topical
gel contraceptive. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">What were some major contributions EngenderHealth made at
the conference?</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">EngenderHealth contributed a great deal to the Implementing
Best Practices (IBP) sessions, which were another major highlight of my
experience in Dakar.
The format of these sessions was unique.
Rather than Powerpoint presentations followed by a question-and-answer
period, the sessions were broken up into roundtables, allowing for open dialogue
in small groups of 8–10 people. It was a rare opportunity to sit down with
colleagues and experts from around the world and take a bird’s eye view at what
we do and how we do it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APwmtQzP_DE/TxBb9GbbuSI/AAAAAAAAADI/QptwMedPtqI/s1600/icasa.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-APwmtQzP_DE/TxBb9GbbuSI/AAAAAAAAADI/QptwMedPtqI/s200/icasa.GIF" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><u><b>
2011 International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa, Addis Ababa:
MARK BARONE (Senior Medical Associate)</b></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">What were some of your favorite moments from the conference,
and why? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">A favorite moment from the conference was a presentation
that my colleague Dr. Quentin Awori delivered on our randomized controlled
trial of the <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/media/press-releases/2011-05-03-shang-ring.php">Shang Ring</a> versus conventional male circumcision in Kenya and Zambia. Dr. Awori works in Homa Bay, Kenya,
and is a co-investigator on the study. He is an up-and-coming young researcher,
which made it even more gratifying to see our work presented by him. The
presentation generated a lot of discussion and offered great hope that a device
will simplify <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/male-circumcision.php">male circumcision</a> and allow for more rapid scale-up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I also particularly enjoyed the opportunity that the
conference presented to connect with many of the people that I know who are
working in the field of HIV and to meet new people. Conferences like this
provide a venue to learn not only from the actual conference sessions, but also
to talk with others and get a better sense of what is going on more broadly in
the field and to create opportunities
for future collaborations. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">What other research highlights received special attention
from conference participants? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Voluntary medical male circumcision received a great deal of
attention during ICASA, including a number of special sessions and many oral
and poster presentations. I hope that emphasis on this proven HIV prevention
intervention will spur along some of the programs in Sub-Saharan Africa that
have been lagging a bit. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<i><span style="font-size: small;">What work did EngenderHealth present, and how did it fit
into the overall conference narrative and themes? </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">EngenderHealth was well represented at the conference, with
oral and poster presentations that highlighted our work in voluntary medical
male circumcision for HIV prevention, gender, and our work with most-at-risk
populations (MARPs). We also had a booth in the exhibition area highlighting
our HIV-related work, with a special focus on our work with MARPs in Ethiopia. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-59569575061970534102012-01-10T10:13:00.000-05:002012-02-07T16:11:11.972-05:00Teaming Up for Respectful Maternity Care<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xK2_2LighY4/TwxVLVs87aI/AAAAAAAAADA/Zj_guculSGc/s1600/RespectfulMaternityCare.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="103" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xK2_2LighY4/TwxVLVs87aI/AAAAAAAAADA/Zj_guculSGc/s200/RespectfulMaternityCare.gif" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Pregnancy and childbirth are momentous events in the lives
of women and families everywhere. But too often, a woman's experience with her health
care providers results in lasting damage and emotional trauma, rather than
comfort and trust. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">This is why EngenderHealth is partnering with the White
Ribbon Alliance to promote <a href="http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/index.cfm/act-now/respectful-maternity-care/" title="http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/index.cfm/act-now/respectful-maternity-care/">Respectful
Maternity Care</a>, a campaign to raise awareness of the disrespectful
treatment that many women experience in seeking and receiving maternity care.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">To learn more, read <a href="http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/index.cfm/news-blogs/wra-blogs/blog-making-rights-real-engenderhealth-teams-up-with-white-ribbon-alliance-on-the-respectful-maternity-care-campaign/" title="http://www.whiteribbonalliance.org/index.cfm/news-blogs/wra-blogs/blog-making-rights-real-engenderhealth-teams-up-with-white-ribbon-alliance-on-the-respectful-maternity-care-campaign/">our
guest blog </a>on the White Ribbon Alliance website.</span></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-31460447166934993702011-12-21T12:07:00.023-05:002012-02-07T16:12:06.740-05:00Repro Health in Review: 11 Highlights of 2011<div style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;">We saw a number of significant moments in global reproductive health during 2011 -- from historic court rulings to scientific breakthroughs to the launch of a new UN agency dedicated to women's equality and empowerment. Check out our <a href="http://www.dipity.com/engenderhealth/Repro-Health-in-Review-11-Significant-Moments-of-2011/">digital timeline</a> of 2011 highlights! Or scroll down for a complete list.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="dipity_embed" style="width: 425px;">
<iframe height="300" src="http://www.dipity.com/engenderhealth/Repro-Health-in-Review-11-Significant-Moments-of-2011/?mode=embed&ct=Aug%2010,%202011&z=1yr&bgcolor=%23f09214&bgimg=/images/white_grad_up.png#tl" style="border: 1px solid #CCC;" width="425"></iframe><br />
<div style="font-family: Arial,sans; font-size: 13px; margin: 0; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.dipity.com/engenderhealth/Repro-Health-in-Review-11-Significant-Moments-of-2011/">Repro Health in Review: 11 Highlights of 2011</a> on <a href="http://www.dipity.com/">Dipity</a>.</div>
</div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">October 31: </span>The world’s 7 billionth baby joins the global community.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">October 4: </span>A <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099%2811%2970247-X/abstract">study</a> published in <i>Lancet Infectious Diseases</i> (October issue) suggests a possible link between hormonal contraceptives and HIV.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 10:</span> The UN CEDAW <a href="http://engenderhealthblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/historic-un-ruling-states-must-ensure.html">issues</a> an historic ruling that governments have a human rights obligation to guarantee access to maternal health services.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">August 1: </span>The Obama Administration <a href="http://engenderhealthblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/obama-administration-requires-zero.html">issues</a> new standards requiring health insurance plans to cover women's contraceptives without co-payments.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">July 6: </span>In a 2-1 decision, a New York appeals court ruled that the “<a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/media/press-releases/2011-07-06-antiprostitution-win.php">anti-prostitution pledge</a>” violates the First Amendment by forcing funding recipients to take on the government’s viewpoint as if it were their own.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">May 17: </span>The World Health Organization expands its <a href="http://whqlibdoc.who.int/hq/2011/a95053_eng.pdf">list</a> of essential medicines to include misoprostol, a lifesaving drug that prevents postpartum hemorrhage, a leading cause of maternal death.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">May 12: </span>A <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/13/health/research/13hiv.html?_r=1&ref=health">study</a> by <span style="color: black;">National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases</span> reveals that early treatment for HIV patients can significantly reduce chances of transmission.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">April 15:</span> The U.S. Congress <a href="http://www.californiahealthline.org/articles/2011/4/15/congress-passes-fy-2011-budget-bill-sends-measure-to-president.aspx">passes</a> the FY2011 Continuing Resolution, ending a budgetary impasse that sparked a nationwide debate about women’s reproductive health and rights.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">March 3:</span> Two Ugandan families take maternal health rights into their own hands by <a href="http://www.cehurd.org/2011/09/constitutional-court-begins-hearing-maternal-deaths-case-3/">bringing</a> a lawsuit against their government for the needless deaths of two mothers in a North Uganda clinic.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">February 1:</span> A 2010 <a href="http://www.dghs.gov.bd/dmdocuments/BMMS_2010.pdf">Demographic Health Survey</a> in Bangladesh reveals a significant 40% decline in maternal mortality in less than a decade. <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/media/press-releases/2011-03-03-bangladesh-mm.php">Learn</a> about EngenderHealth’s role in improving <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/">maternal health</a> in <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-countries/asia-near-east/bangladesh.php">Bangladesh</a>. </span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">February 24:</span> Secretary General launches <a href="http://www.unwomen.org/">UN Women</a>, signifying a historic step to marshal resources and mandates for greater impact in gender equality and women’s empowerment.</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">January 6: </span>600 UK women reported unwanted pregnancies while using the Implanon contraceptive implant, creating a pregnancy scare among clients. Read our <a href="http://www.globalhealthmagazine.com/guest_blog/contraceptive_implants/">commentary</a> on the role of training for implants.</span></li>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"> <span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-48097297496593682342011-12-16T15:27:00.012-05:002012-02-07T16:12:32.736-05:00Snapshots: Eliza of Tanzania<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJpkLv_5jZg/Tuu9nWkDMnI/AAAAAAAAACw/N8VpnvRU-hY/s1600/Preview-4377.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5686847438254715506" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJpkLv_5jZg/Tuu9nWkDMnI/AAAAAAAAACw/N8VpnvRU-hY/s400/Preview-4377.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 266px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u3dnqnJvLbo/Tuu9hiK-YuI/AAAAAAAAACk/IfgfgXzRCFQ/s1600/Preview-4377.jpg"></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
In Arusha, Tanzania, Eliza talks with a patient at the Ngarenaro Health Clinic. Learn more about EngenderHealth’s work to <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/improving-quality/">improve clinical quality</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Photo credit: Mark Tuschman</i></div>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-16640366233275658572011-11-30T15:48:00.010-05:002012-02-07T16:13:16.302-05:00What It Will Take to Achieve an AIDS-Free Generation<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;">In a November 8 address, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton set forth a <a href="http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/11/176770.htm">bold vision</a> that the end of HIV and AIDS is finally in sight, marking the first time in history that the U.S. government has made it a policy priority to end HIV and AIDS.</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /><br />Major scientific advances in the last few years offer an historic opportunity for achieving an AIDS-free generation, Secretary Clinton said. This goal is attainable through a combination of three proven interventions—prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), voluntary medical male circumcision, and antiretroviral (ARV) treatment to prevention transmission—in addition to condoms and other prevention tools. The Obama Administration is characterizing this approach as “combination prevention.”</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /><br />Here, EngenderHealth experts on HIV and AIDS offer their perspectives on the U.S. government’s new policy as well as the new 2011 Worlds AIDS Day report released by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS).</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pamela W. Barnes, President and CEO</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bringing family planning back into the conversation…</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /></span><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: verdana;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5atJX3GqEh4/TtaZ-M_bWDI/AAAAAAAAACE/bHxRXq8HN7U/s1600/Pam_Barnes_in_Ethiopia_200px.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680897273892657202" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5atJX3GqEh4/TtaZ-M_bWDI/AAAAAAAAACE/bHxRXq8HN7U/s200/Pam_Barnes_in_Ethiopia_200px.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 174px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;">I fully applaud the ambitious goal set forth by the Obama Administration, yet its response doesn’t measure up to the realities facing the majority of individuals living with HIV—women and girls—in Africa. Achieving an AIDS-free generation will require a broad, integrated approach that extends beyond PMTCT to include reproductive choice, which is a fundamental human right for women and girls and an indispensable component of a comprehensive solution to ending HIV and AIDS.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> (Photo: Pamela Barnes on the right)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Family planning is part of a <a href="http://www.unfpa.org/hiv/transmission.htm">four-pronged approach</a> to achieving strong sexual and reproductive health for women living with HIV. We can all cheer when a mother gives birth to an HIV-free baby—no doubt, PMTCT is a critical tool for HIV-positive women who wish to expand their families. But the reality is that we cannot have comprehensive PMTCT without family planning.<br /><br />To be effective, PMTCT services must encompass comprehensive care for pregnant women, mothers, and newborns, including family planning, primary prevention, and care and treatment for HIV-positive women and infants. Moreover, women with HIV who have just delivered a healthy baby through PMTCT must also have the means to avoid or delay future pregnancies, if that is what they wish to do.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The bigger picture of reproductive health...</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"></span><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="font-size: 100%;">In the broader context of sexual and reproductive health, we must also ask ourselves: How do we keep that same mother healthy throughout her life? She may access HIV treatment, but in these very same places, getting pregnant is one of the riskiest things she can do. For example, in places like Niger, a woman has a one in 16 chance of dying due to pregnancy in her lifetime, so meeting a woman’s broader reproductive health needs, including family planning, is imperative if we are to make measurable progress.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%; font-weight: bold;">Paul Perchal, Director, HIV and STI</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GaitNIamM7k/TtaZAlQ2DcI/AAAAAAAAABs/BrqCQ0XTQfY/s1600/perchal-hiv-conference1.jpg"></a><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Universal access to HIV programs is the lynchpin to achieving an AIDS-free generation…</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /></span><br />
<blockquote face="verdana">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsbILHYbmDM/TtaZ3QKHg1I/AAAAAAAAAB4/IySGtPlkcEY/s1600/Paul_Perchal_170px.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5680897154483716946" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NsbILHYbmDM/TtaZ3QKHg1I/AAAAAAAAAB4/IySGtPlkcEY/s200/Paul_Perchal_170px.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 198px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 170px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;">We are in a truly new era of the AIDS response, with unprecedented opportunities for realizing an AIDS-free generation, but we have a long way to go. Universal access to HIV programs is the lynchpin to achieving an AIDS-free generation. By the end of 2010, only <a href="http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf">about 47</a>% of eligible people living with HIV were on ARV treatment, and <a href="http://www.unaids.org/en/media/unaids/contentassets/documents/unaidspublication/2011/JC2216_WorldAIDSday_report_2011_en.pdf">about 48%</a> of pregnant women living with HIV received PMTCT treatment. Moreover, after male circumcision was shown to offer protection against HIV, the United Nations set a <a href="http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2011/9789241502511_eng.pdf">goal</a> for 20 million African men to be circumcised by 2015, yet to date only about 600,000 have undergone the procedure. For these numbers to change, strong referral networks are key – they help with client follow-up, and will be critical in scaling up comprehensive prevention, care, and treatment programs.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;">On “combination prevention” (PMTCT, MC, and care and treatment)…</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /></span><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="font-size: 100%;">Combining proven approaches must also include behavioral interventions (such as encouraging people to use condoms to reduce risks of transmission) and structural interventions (such as using microfinance loans to reduce women’s dependence on transactional sex for income). Even if HIV services are available, people may not access them or adhere to care and treatment unless they develop positive health-seeking behaviors and can do so without facing stigma and discrimination.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;">A shared responsibility…</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /></span><br />
<blockquote style="font-family: verdana;">
<span style="font-size: 100%;">An effective global response to HIV and AIDS involves a shared responsibility and ongoing moral and financial commitment from both developed and developing countries, communities, and donors. We also need to help support and strengthen local governments and civil society organizations by building their institutional capacity to increase transparency and accountability and ensuring that donor resources actually reach the people they are meant to support in a timely and cost-efficient way.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%; font-style: italic;">On the new global framework described in the 2011 UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report…</span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"><br /></span><br />
<blockquote face="verdana">
<span style="font-size: 100%;">The comprehensive global framework for HIV and AIDS should deliver significant results if countries, donors, and multiple development sectors can commit to it. The framework underscores the need to promote “social enablers,” such as human rights and the capacity of community-based organizations, as well as “program enablers,” such as community-centered program design and delivery, integration, management and incentives, and research and innovation.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /><br />Achieving universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care, and support by 2015 through the framework will require scaling up funding, including moving closer to spending 15% of government revenue on health (as per the Abuja Declaration for Africa), as well as using existing resources more cost-efficiently. It will also require leveraging synergies with other sectors such as gender, education, social protection and welfare, and economic development.</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /><br />Finally, maximizing critical enablers requires program efforts and new innovations that function together and include a combination of biomedical, behavioral, and structural components.</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 100%;"></span><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></span>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-58561303708144358722011-11-02T09:15:00.016-04:002012-02-07T16:14:08.122-05:00U.S. Troops Deploy to Central Africa to Fight Sexual Violence<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Restoring stability could increase access to critical health care in the region<br /></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1AXJyUWmsc/TrFDIjDXwpI/AAAAAAAAABI/OPZajrbnJzo/s1600/UNphoto_LRAIDPs.jpg" style="font-family: verdana;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670387219963560594" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1AXJyUWmsc/TrFDIjDXwpI/AAAAAAAAABI/OPZajrbnJzo/s200/UNphoto_LRAIDPs.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 133px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-family: verdana;">The U.S. government is deploying 100 troops to Central Africa to help fight the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a decades-old organization notorious for rape, sex slavery, and other forms of violence against women. The troops will be armed for self-defense but will primarily advise regional military forces in hunting down the leader of the LRA, Joseph Kony, who became the International Criminal Court’s first indictee for war crimes about 10 years ago.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Since 1987, the LRA has terrorized civilian populations throughout the central African region, including parts of </span><a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-countries/africa/drc.php" style="font-family: verdana;">Democratic Republic of the Congo</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">, northern </span><a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-countries/africa/uganda.php" style="font-family: verdana;">Uganda</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">, South Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Over the years, tens of thousands of children have been abducted to serve as child soldiers, women and girls were enslaved for sex, while tens of thousands more were disfigured or killed. Those who have been displaced by the violence continue to live in refugee and displacement camps with little opportunity for education, work, or proper health care.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">While it will inevitably take time, restoring stability in the region is a prerequisite for improving physical security and developing roads and other critical infrastructure that are key to expanding people’s access to medical care. This includes access to quality reproductive health care, a goal that EngenderHealth works to achieve in both Uganda, the DRC, and throughout Africa. EngenderHealth’s </span><a href="http://www.fistulacare.org/pages/index.php" style="font-family: verdana;">Fistula Care</a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> project supports health centers in both Uganda, where the LRA originated, and the DRC, where the group continues to operate today. The project focuses on providing treatment for women living with fistula resulting from both obstetric and traumatic injury. Read a <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/success-stories/congo-fistula-surgeons.php">story</a> </span></span><link style="font-family: verdana;"></link><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> about EngenderHealth-trained fistula surgeons in the DRC.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some consider President Barack Obama’s deployment decision to be a positive sign that the United States will not tolerate sexual violence in Africa. The decision to deploy is consistent with legislation in Congress, the “International Violence Against Women Act” (IVAWA), which aims to establish gender-based violence as a top priority for U.S. foreign policy. IVAWA passed in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in December 2010 but failed to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives.</span></span>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-74827679500972746872011-11-01T14:22:00.018-04:002012-02-07T16:14:28.677-05:00Capturing the Count: A Round Up of Global Voices on 7 Billion<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mB38ZTWfTDE/TrBYrTZtQ8I/AAAAAAAAAA8/PgLimBp2hrU/s1600/7billion.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670129431825171394" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mB38ZTWfTDE/TrBYrTZtQ8I/AAAAAAAAAA8/PgLimBp2hrU/s200/7billion.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 129px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 221px;" /></a><span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-style: italic;">In the weeks leading up to the 7 billion milestone, we’ve seen the global population issue captured in so many ways across the multimedia landscape—through videos, web sites, photo essays, social media, and of course, the good old op-ed. Below is a collection of some of the most interesting “7 billion” projects that reflect the diversity, not only of these views, but of our growing world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">7 billion … in pictures:</span></span><br />
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Photo essays from <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/10/population-seven-billion/100176/">The Atlantic</a>, <a href="http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/10/world_population_7_billion_1.html">Boston Globe</a>, <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/seven-billion/olson-photography">National Geographic</a>, and the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the-making-of-7-billion/2011/10/25/gIQAlNdVPM_gallery.html#photo=1">Washington Post</a>. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">In a colorful two-and-half-minute <a href="http://www.npr.org/2011/10/31/141816460/visualizing-how-a-population-grows-to-7-billion">video</a>, NPR tells the story of how we got “so big, so fast.” </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">7 billion … in soundbytes:</span></span><br />
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">A <a href="http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Stories/Podcasts2/">podcast </a>featuring Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, on family planning and the 7 billion milestone (published by the UK’s Department for International Development). </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">An NPR <a href="http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=141811419&m=141812234">segment </a>about the most densely populated place in India. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">7 billion … on the web:</span></span><br />
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">The National Geographic magazine is culminating a special <a href="http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2011/01/seven-billion/kunzig-text">year-long</a> series on population, including an article, photo gallery, video, and game. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">What’s your number? <a href="http://populationaction.org/Articles/Whats_Your_Number/">Population Action International</a> and the</span><span style="font-size: 100%;"> <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-15391515">BBC </a></span><span style="font-size: 100%;">have launched online campaigns showing you where you fit among the world’s 7 billion, using just your birthday. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">USAID Global Health’s “<a href="http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/pop/news/wpd11.html">World at 7 Billion</a>” project demonstrates how a single person in a world of 7 billion can make a difference in his or her community. (Features a <a href="http://www.usaid.gov/our_work/global_health/pop/news/wpd11_kenya.html">story</a> on our very own Esther Nyokabi of Kenya!) </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">UNFPA’s <a href="http://www.7billionactions.org/">7 Billion Actions</a> campaign shares stories and films on how individuals and organizations around the world are bringing about positive change. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">7 billion … in social media:</span></span><br />
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Check out the conversation on <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%237billion">#7billion</a> in Twittersphere as well as EngenderHealth’s <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/%23countto7b">#CountTo7B</a> project on key population factoids and statistics. </span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-size: 100%;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">7 billion … in writing:</span></span><br />
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">In an <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/17/opinion/sachs-global-population/">Oct. 21 essay</a> on CNN.com, Jeffrey Sachs says technology and stabilization of the population are the answers to this question: How can we enjoy “sustainable development” on a very crowded planet? </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Helen Epstein discusses the role of religion in contraceptive use for Ghanaian communities in her Oct. 22 New York Times <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/opinion/sunday/talking-their-way-out-of-a-population-crisis.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all">article</a>, Talking Their Way Out of a Population Crisis. </span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="font-family: verdana;">
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">On Oct. 24, the Guardian UK <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/oct/24/women-education-tanzania-population?INTCMP=SRCH">underscores</a> the role of education in increasing opportunities for women and girls and, ultimately, slowing population growth in places like Tanzania.<br /></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 100%;">Bloomberg offered its own round up of the voices on 7 billion in an Oct. 31 <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-10-31/seven-billion-reasons-to-talk-about-our-future-the-ticker.html">article</a>.</span></li>
</ul>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-74660788438541040142011-10-25T15:53:00.019-04:002011-10-26T16:03:59.484-04:00Top Tweets on #UNday!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0N3UBFZqFk/TqhnavYFElI/AAAAAAAAAAw/1PTvs6tkmN0/s1600/UNGA.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 157px; height: 110px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-e0N3UBFZqFk/TqhnavYFElI/AAAAAAAAAAw/1PTvs6tkmN0/s200/UNGA.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667893840137491026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">On Oct. 24, we celebrated the 66th birthday of the United Nations, an important EngenderHealth partner and crucial supporter of lifesaving reproductive health programs worldwide. There was no cake (at least for EngenderHealth :</span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;">)) but the conversation rocked! Check out our favorite tweets from #UNDay:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@StateDept</span><br />President Obama: The men and women who created @UN understood that peace is not simply the absence of war. <a href="http://go.usa.gov/XrT">http://go.usa.gov/XrT</a> #UNDay<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@WeCanEndPoverty </span><br />On Monday, UN Day, find out what you can do to help meet the Millennium Development Goals here: <a href="http://bit.ly/drl2ep">http://bit.ly/drl2ep</a> #UN4U #7billion #MDGs<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@UNfoundation</span><br />"The UN brings the world together to consider issues that affect all of the planet's human beings" - Sen. Wirth #UN4U<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@AmbassadorRice</span><br />66 years after the #UN's founding Charter entered into force, it pays more than ever to share the burden of our common challenges. #UNDay<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@USEmbassyAthens</span><br />On #UNDay, we join our 192 fellow member states in celebrating the founding ideals of the #UN Charter: <a href="http://go.usa.gov/XrT">http://go.usa.gov/XrT</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@ICTYnews</span> (International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia)<br />The ICTY marks 2011 UN Day with no remaining fugitives and nearing successful completion of its mandate: <a href="http://ow.ly/786ON">http://ow.ly/786ON</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@UNICLagos</span> (United Nations Information Centre, Lagos)<br />On UN Day, Ban underlines need for unity to confront global challenges <a href="http://shar.es/bYAk4">http://shar.es/bYAk4</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@UNICEFLive </span><br />Happy #UN Day! Thanks for helping to build a better world where no one is left behind. <a href="http://bit.ly/psLyec">http://bit.ly/psLyec</a> #UN4U<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@UNfoundation</span><br />Tomorrow is #UN Day! Check out this great interactive map with @unausa events happening around the country: <a href="http://ow.ly/76bp9">http://ow.ly/76bp9</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">@EngenderHealth</span><br />Happy #UNday! Thnx to the entire #UN family for working to advance the welfare of #women and girls, esp in the field of #reprohealth. #MDG5</span><a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23MDG5" title="#MDG5" class=" twitter-hashtag pretty-link" rel="nofollow"><b></b></a>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-80631030467924986632011-10-11T09:41:00.001-04:002011-10-11T10:10:03.349-04:00On the Hill: House Foreign Affairs Committee Votes to End Support for UNFPA<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">In a strict party-line vote, the Republican-led House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee voted 23-17 yesterday to prohibit United States financial support for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). President Barack Obama had requested $50 million for the group. In denying this request, Republicans cited UNFPA's work in China, where they believe funds could be used to coercively enforce that country's one-child policy. Democrats on the committee offered various amendments to allow U.S. money to UNFPA to be directed to specific programs, such as ending child marriage and female genital mutilation, preventing and repairing <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/fistula.php">obstetric fistula</a>, and providing safe birth kits to pregnant women following a natural disaster. Republicans uniformly voted against each one. We will continue to keep you updated on this and other policy developments.</span></span>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-15156995497693069242011-09-28T11:13:00.008-04:002011-10-03T09:37:05.991-04:00On the Hill: Senators Challenge House Cuts to Family Planning, Reproductive Health<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">In a challenge to the dramatic cuts proposed by the House of Representatives in July, the Senate Appropriations Committee has voted to provide $700 million for international family planning and reproductive health in fiscal year 2012—a $239 million increase over the amount proposed in the House version of the State Department and Foreign Operations bill. The committee also adopted an amendment </span><span style="font-size:100%;">introduced by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) </span><span style="font-size:100%;">that would block the <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/media/press-releases/definition-global-gag-rule.php">Global Gag Rule</a> proposed by the House and to permanently prohibit the use of the policy under future leadership.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Senate actions set the stage for what will be a contentious debate over reproductive health and rights in the upcoming budget process. In <a href="http://engenderhealthblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/house-bill-proposes-dramatic-cuts-for.html">its version of the bill</a>, the House cut family planning funding by 25% from current levels and barred the United States from making any contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The House also seeks to impose the Global Gag Rule (GGR), which prohibits foreign organizations from receiving U.S. aid if they provide any services related to abortion—even if they use their own non-U.S. funding and even if the activities are legal in their own countries. Also known as the Mexico City Policy, the GGR has proven in the past to needlessly hamper access to critical health services and endanger the lives of millions.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The FY2012 State Department and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill covers U.S. programs in diplomacy, development, health, and humanitarian assistance. While the new fiscal year officially began October 1, no agreement on the spending bill has been reached between the two houses of Congress. In the meantime, the House and Senate are negotiating a continuing resolution that would temporarily fund the government until an official FY2012 appropriations bill is signed into law.</span></p>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-40200739762622857442011-08-25T12:57:00.016-04:002011-08-25T14:04:47.680-04:00Historic UN Ruling: States Must Ensure Access to Maternal Health Care<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xn1_lXZ4BEA/TlaCPRF5_EI/AAAAAAAAAAY/d8TO5JOSSTc/s1600/C%2BNgongo_SierraLeone_0455_forblog.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 137px; height: 172px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Xn1_lXZ4BEA/TlaCPRF5_EI/AAAAAAAAAAY/d8TO5JOSSTc/s200/C%2BNgongo_SierraLeone_0455_forblog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644842381753318466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Governments have a human rights obligation to guarantee women’s access to timely and nondiscriminatory maternal health services, according to a recent ruling by a major United Nations human rights body.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (<a href="http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/committee.htm">CEDAW</a>) issued the <a href="http://reproductiverights.org/en/document/decision-alyne-da-silva-pimentel-v-brazil">Aug. 10 ruling</a>, concluding the first maternal death case ever to be decided by an international human rights body.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The case began in 2002 with the tragic death of Alyne da Silva Pimentel, a 28-year-old Brazilian of African descent. Alyne was denied timely care at a public health facility and later died after giving birth to a stillborn baby. Five years later, her mother brought the case to CEDAW, stating the government of Brazil violated her daughter’s right to life and health by failing to meet its obligation to ensure the health and rights of her daughter.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In her complaint, Maria de Lourdes da Silva Pimentel invoked Articles 2 and 12 of the <a href="http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cedaw.htm">Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women</a>, which call on the government to pursue all appropriate means to eliminate discrimination against women in the field of health care.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Brazil is an emerging economic power in South America. While the country has dramatically reduced maternal deaths in the last 10 years, the progress at the national level belies the extreme disparities in maternal health care that still exist based on race, socioeconomic status and geography.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The ruling sends a powerful message in the international arena and demands that the government compensate Alyne's family and take steps to ensure women's rights to safe motherhood and health care. More broadly, it establishes that <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/maternal/">maternal health</a> is a human rights responsibility of governments that must be taken seriously and that applies to all women, including indigenous, impoverished women who are most affected by maternal mortality.</span>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Created in 1982, the Committee is made up of 23 experts on women’s issues worldwide. The Committee mandate is to monitor progress for women in countries that are parties to the Convention. Members review national reports to assess the steps being taken to improve situations for women—a process that itself enables continuous dialogue and focus on anti-discrimination policies.
<br />
<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Photo by C. Ngongo/EngenderHealth</span>
<br /></span></span>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4056689411664433131.post-13671885905354314462011-08-11T09:23:00.010-04:002011-08-11T10:26:12.574-04:00Insights from 2011 Int’l AIDS Society Conference<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:100%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal"><span style="font-size:10pt;">Back from Rome where they participated in this year’s International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference, Mark Barone and Jared Nyanchoka, Technical Advisors at EngenderHealth, took time to share highlights from the annual meeting:</span></i></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:10pt;">Q: What were some research highlights from the conference?</span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">A: Two major research advancements drew much attention at the conference: 1) treatment as prevention and 2) pre-exposure prophylaxis, known as PrEP. In the first case, a large, randomized study showed that when people living with HIV begin antiretroviral (ARV) treatment before they normally would, their chances of transmitting the virus are reduced by an astounding 96%. The second breakthrough involved two randomized studies among heterosexual couples in Botswana, Kenya, and Uganda, which showed that a daily dose of ARV drugs for HIV-negative men and women reduced the risk of contracting HIV by 60-70%. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">Another interesting study addressed <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/male-circumcision.php">male circumcision</a> for HIV prevention, one of <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/">EngenderHealth’s HIV focus areas</a>. A study from South Africa showed for the first time that male circumcision reduced the number of new HIV infections within a population. </span><span style="font-size:10pt;"></span><span style="font-size:10pt;">Among 15- to 34-year-old men, there was a 76% reduction in new HIV infections between 2007 and 2010 in the Orange Farm area outside of Johannesburg. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:10pt;">Q: What are the key issues emerging in light of the recent findings involving HIV treatment for prevention? </span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">A: Treatment as prevention took center stage at this year’s IAS conference in Rome. While everyone seems very excited about these amazing results, many debates have surfaced about the <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">practical issues that must be addressed</b> before this approach can become a reality. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">Currently, in Africa, as in other parts of the world, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">many people need treatment now</b>, yet are unable to get it because of lack of availability and resources. <b style="">How can we begin giving anti-HIV drugs to people who do not need them yet clinically, </b>even though we know that doing so will decrease the chances of passing HIV to others? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">Treatment-as-prevention approaches are extremely expensive</b>, and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">stigma</b> is an obstacle to getting tested and accessing treatment. There are also concerns about <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">human rights issues</b> surrounding drug distribution in limited resource settings. These are only a few of the many issues that complicate this discovery. <span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">It is also important for people to keep in mind that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">treatment as prevention and PrEP have a major behavioral component</b></span><span style="font-size:10pt;"></span><span style="font-size:10pt;">. People actually need to take the drugs. With past prevention measures (condom use, reduction in sexual partners, safe drug injection practices), we have seen that <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">behavior change is not easy</b>. We must not be lulled into thinking that these prevention approaches using ARV drugs will be any more likely to succeed without significant efforts. </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">The ethics of using placebos in future HIV research were also debated at the conference, particularly with regard to developing an HIV vaccine. How ethical will it be to give placebo medication in place of other near effective biomedical approaches such as treatment as prevention and PrEP when researching effectiveness?</span></span></p> <h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span lang="DE" style="font-size:10pt;">Q: What new HIV-related research did EngenderHealth present at the conference?</span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:10pt;" lang="DE" > </span></span></h1> <h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:10pt;" lang="DE" >A: EngenderHealth gave two poster presentations on our <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-work/hiv-aids-stis/male-circumcision.php">male circumcision</a> work in <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/our-countries/africa/kenya.php">Kenya</a>, both of which were very well-received. One demonstrated that male circumcision provided by non-physicians (</span><span style=" font-weight: normal;font-size:10pt;" >nurses and clinical officers) is safe, effective, and acceptable, when the providers are well trained and facilities have the required equipment and supplies. The second confirmed the safety and acceptability of the <a href="http://www.engenderhealth.org/media/press-releases/2011-05-03-shang-ring.php">Shang Ring</a>, a novel device for adult male circumcision that EngenderHealth is researching in Africa. Participants were eager to use the findings as a lobbying tool to push their governments to support male circumcision. </span></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:10pt;">Q: What role do you think this and similar conferences play in knowledge sharing and advancement? </span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size:10pt;">A: Scientific conferences are crucial for knowledge sharing. They provide a forum for presenting the latest developments and advances in the field, for exchanging ideas about projects, and for immersing oneself in the latest work in many different subfields of HIV research. Conferences allow researchers to present their data and solicit input from others, as well as provide input on others’ work. They allow for critical discourse, discussion and debate that help to move the field forward and provide an opportunity to network with colleagues and to develop new collaborations with people from around the world.</span></span></p>Emily Hsu Pfeifferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11288478694094520980noreply@blogger.com0