Alliance Launches HIV-related Stigma and Discrimination Website

A new website for the Stigma Action Network (SAN) is now live, offering a clearinghouse of information for experts working in HIV-related stigma and discrimination.

This network aims to support a global alliance of practitioners, researchers, advocates, people living with HIV, and donors by providing a one-stop shop for sharing and exchanging information about HIV stigma and discrimination.

The SAN steering committee includes EngenderHealth, Colectivo Sol, Futures Group, The Communication Hub and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance Africa Regional Programme.

Read more.

The Smile of a Healthy Mother

Rashida Begum, 32, experienced severe bleeding after each of her five deliveries, which left her weak and in need of costly medical attention. But after learning from an EngenderHealth-trained health worker about misoprostol, an inexpensive drug that is used to stop postpartum hemorrhage, Rashida safely delivered twin babies and was healthy and strong enough to care for her newborns. Read Rashida’s story.

Approved Budget Cuts Repro Health Funding, Excludes Global Gag Rule

April 19, 2011 – Following months of intense debate, Congress passed a budget (H.R.1473) on April 14 to fund the government for the rest of fiscal year 2011. While it excludes some of the more extreme policy riders proposed by the House, it still includes cuts to sexual and reproductive health programs. Below are select health highlights from the bill:

- $615 million for international family planning and reproductive health programs, which represents a 5% reduction from FY 2010 levels of $648.5 million. The $615 million includes $575 million for bilateral family planning programs provided through the U.S. Agency for International Development.

- $40 million contribution to the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which is $15 million lower than FY 2010 and reverts back to FY 2008 spending levels.

- Maintains funding for Title X family planning programs in the United States and for domestic teenage pregnancy prevention programs that House lawmakers sought to cut.

- Excludes policy riders such as the Global Gag Rule and a ban on U.S. contributions to the UNFPA that House lawmakers also proposed to include.

Overall, the measure reduces spending by $38.5 billion from FY 2010 levels and represents the largest non-defense reduction in history. The bill passed in the House (260-167) and in the Senate (91-19).

Thank you for your support in writing Congress and spreading the word over the last few months, which helped avert some of the most devastating cuts to women’s health sought by House lawmakers.

World Health Organization: Significant Decline in Deaths from Unsafe Abortion

Significantly fewer women are dying from unsafe abortion today, a sign that interventions to improve postabortion care are effective and save lives, according to a new report from the World Health Organization.

Between 2003 and 2008, deaths related to unsafe abortion fell about 16% globally-from 56,000 to 47,000-despite an overall increase in the number of unsafe abortions. Today, complications from unsafe abortion account for 13% of all maternal deaths. The vast majority of women dying from unsafe abortions are in the least developed countries, including parts of Sub-Saharan Africa. More than one-third of these deaths happen in countries with stringent abortion laws or where women have limited or no access to contraception.

One of those countries is Tanzania, where complications from abortion are a leading cause of maternal death. Through the ACQUIRE Tanzania Project (ATP), EngenderHealth has partnered with the Tanzanian government since 2004 to improve availability of services for comprehensive postabortion care (cPAC) in rural areas. Previously, these services were only available at regional hospitals, which were too far away for many women to receive timely emergency care.

Together with the Tanzanian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, EngenderHealth's ATP is decentralizing cPAC services so that medical personnel at local health facilities are trained to treat complications from unsafe abortion. ATP also works with community leaders to reduce the stigma around abortion, which is illegal in Tanzania, so that community leaders can spread information about the availability of both cPAC and family planning services.

In addition to cPAC, ATP is expanding access to family planning nationwide, which is key to reducing unplanned pregnancies and pregnancy-related deaths. Indeed, between 2004 and 2009, maternal deaths in Tanzania dropped to 454 deaths per 100,000 live births (from 578 deaths per 100,000 in 2004), according to the 2010 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey.

Lawmakers Take New Steps to Prevent and Treat Obstetric Fistula

Congressional leaders are taking a new step toward ending obstetric fistula by introducing “The Fistula Prevention, Treatment, Hope and Dignity Restoration Act” (H.R. 949). Leading global advocates applaud this legislation, introduced on International Women’s Day (March 8), which will support the variety of interventions needed to effectively treat and prevent this condition.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), together with Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Gwen Moore (D-WI), and Pete Stark (D-CA).

Read a March 10 joint statement from EngenderHealth, the International Women’s Health Coalition, and the United Methodist Church.

"The Best Investment in Global Women's Health"

On March 8, 2011, as part of our larger effort to mark the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day, EngenderHealth President Pamela W. Barnes and Global Health Council President Jeffrey Sturchio addressed “The Best Investment in Global Women’s Health" at The Huffington Post.

Significant Drop in Maternal Mortality in Bangladesh

A new health survey reveals a stunning 40% drop in maternal mortality in Bangladesh in less than a decade—from 322 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2001 to 194 deaths per 100,000 in 2010. This progress is due to a number of factors, including improved access to obstetric care and complications, more women giving birth in a hospital, and greater use of family planning. These encouraging numbers put Bangladesh on track to achieve Millennium Development Goal No. 5 by 2015.

EngenderHealth has been part of this positive change. In 2001, more than half of all maternal deaths resulted from complications such as postpartum hemorrhage and eclampsia. Since 2008, EngenderHealth’s Mayer Hashi project has piloted a successful program to distribute misoprostol to pregnant women to prevent postpartum hemorrhage when they give birth at home. The program has also promoted active management of the third stage of labor at health care facilities. The survey shows a 35% drop in deaths from bleeding and a 50% drop for deaths from eclampsia.

Congress Debates FY 2011 Spending Bill; Fate of Critical Reproductive Health Programs

The U.S. Senate is considering a spending bill that would fund the federal government for the remainder of FY 2011. At stake is funding for international family planning programs and Title X, the only federal program dedicated to domestic family planning and reproductive health. The House version of the bill, which was passed on February 19, proposed an unprecedented $60 billion in spending cuts, including potentially detrimental impacts for reproductive health. The bill seeks to:

• Cut by 39% President Obama’s FY 2011 request for bilateral international family planning and reproductive health funding, from $716 million to $440 million. This represents a $208.5 million reduction from current levels.
• Reinstate the Global Gag Rule, which prohibits any overseas organization receiving U.S. aid from having anything to do with abortion. When it was instituted in the past, the Global Gag Rule had detrimental consequences for the health and lives of women and their families, by creating more barriers to critical health services such as family planning, obstetric care, HIV testing, and malaria treatment.
• Prohibit U.S. contributions to the United Nations Population Fund, an international development agency dedicated to promoting reproductive health and rights.
• Completely eliminate funding for Title X, a $317 million program signed into law in 1970 to cover family planning and reproductive health for low-income women in the United States. It is the only federal program dedicated to this end. Sign our action alert today and ask your senators to protect Title X funding.
• Bar Planned Parenthood from receiving any federal funding for any purpose.

The proposal by Rep. Rob Latta to eliminate international family planning funding was not considered as part of the House bill, which is good news. The potential cuts, however, to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Teen Pregnancy Prevention programs were included in the final, approved version.

Despite these challenges to sexual and reproductive health in the current spending bill, President Obama’s proposed budget for FY 2012 increases funding for development and global health. Unveiled last month, the budget proposal reflects the global development strategy announced last year. In the proposal, the Global Health Initiative received $8.7 billion, an 11% increase from the previous year. Development assistance also rose from $2.5 billion to $2.9 billion.

We will continue to keep you informed with policy updates as we receive them. We appreciate your support and action.

Fistula Blog Series Features EngenderHealth Articles

EngenderHealth co-launched a special blog series that seeks to bolster efforts to increase U.S. international support for obstetric fistula. At RH Reality Check, the series features articles by EngenderHealth experts Karen Beattie, Joseph Ruminjo, and Moustapha Diallo.

A Safe Haven for Fistula Survivors in Ethiopia

For more than 30 years, the Hamlin Hospital in Ethiopia, formerly the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital, has provided free surgical repair procedures for tens of thousands of women living with obstetric fistula.

On February 10, the hospital’s cofounder, Dr. Catherine Hamlin, and CEO Marc Bennett visited EngenderHealth’s headquarters in New York to present the history and philosophy behind this singular institution. They met with EngenderHealth’s Fistula Care team to discuss collaboration on improving fistula treatment and prevention in Ethiopia. With support from USAID, Fistula Care works there to prevent fistula and provide Ethiopian women with pre-hospitalization care, postoperative care, and referral to three regional centers of the Hamlin Hospital.

In his presentation, “Moving From Treatment to Prevention,” Bennett offered a glimpse into the half century of fistula care in Ethiopia that has developed under the joint vision of Dr. Hamlin and her late husband, Reginald. Although the couple first traveled to Ethiopia in 1959 with the intent of training midwives, they were moved by the plight of fistula survivors and refocused their work on treating and rehabilitating Ethiopian women with fistula and preventing fistula from occurring during childbirth.

A specialized hospital

By 1974, the couple had established the Hamlin Hospital. Today, that hospital and the five regional hospitals they have also established, offer free fistula repair for more than 2,500 women each year. To date, more than 30,000 women have been treated, with a success rate exceeding 90%. The hospital also provides rehabilitation services to help women reintegrate into society.

“Dr. Hamlin’s vision and commitment to Ethiopian women is truly inspiring,” said Karen Beattie, director of the EngenderHealth-led Fistula Care project. “Sharing the successes and challenges of Hamlin Fistula International, together with Fistula Care, is vital for advancing the field of fistula treatment and prevention.”

Elsewhere, the Fistula Care project and others are supporting an integrated approach to fistula treatment and prevention by enhancing existing facilities, training local surgeons and health workers to provide quality care, increasing timely access to medical care, and engaging communities to change social norms and encourage families and expectant mothers to seek skilled care during pregnancy and labor.