12 March 2007
Don't forget mothers this Sunday
This Mother's Day, the Methodist Relief and
Development Fund (MRDF) is highlighting the fact that today
over one thousand women worldwide will die in childbirth. The vast
majority of these deaths take place in the developing world, where
mothers can be up to 100 times more likely than their UK
counterparts not to survive giving birth.
'This mother's day we hope that people will remember the families
that have needlessly lost a mother today - and the loss of
potential that these deaths represent. While we can be glad that in
the UK, maternal mortality is increasingly rare, it is a scandal
that so many women worldwide are still dying simply because they
are poor.' said MRDF Director Kirsty Smith.
Lack of affordable and accessible health care is one reason for
high maternal mortality rates. In Mali, where approximately 500
women die for every 100,000 live births, MRDF partner organisations
aim to tackle this problem in the communities where they work.
Local volunteers are trained to safely deliver babies and to
provide pre- and post-natal care for women in remote and rural
communities. Djouraba KonŽ, who gave birth to her son Yacou under
the care of a trained birth attendant, is just one of the mothers
who have benefited from the simple, low-cost techniques which help
to improve the chances of survival for both mother and child.
Action is taking place on a global scale as well. In 2000, world
leaders agreed the Millennium Development Goals, a set of targets
to reduce poverty that included the commitment to reduce maternal
mortality rates by three quarters by 2015.
It is now half way to 2015, yet little has changed for mothers in
countries like Mali. 'To make a lasting difference, we need world
leaders to stand by their promises,' explained Kirsty Smith. 'We're
urging you to join MRDF supporters and others on 2 June this year
to raise your voice against poverty - and ensure that more women
like Djouraba live to see their children grow up.'