By: Joanna Hoffman, Special Projects Manager at Women Deliver
Yesterday, at the 2011 International Conference on Family Planning, Senegal’s Minister of Health announced his country’s pledge to double its investment in family planning, while the British Department for International Development (DFID) pledged an additional £35m in funding for family planning programs in developing countries. These two groundbreaking announcements have been pivotal moments at the global conference in Dakar, Senegal, where over 1,500 participants have gathered to share best practices. Read more...
This fall, the Aberdeen Women’s Centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone is bringing hope to thousands of women affected by obstetric fistula. In October, the centre, which provides a variety of maternal and child health services, began offering a free phone hotline, follow up services, and surgery for women suffering from this debilitating condition.
New Brunswick, New Jersey -- On November 25, 2011, the 
Today, Women Deliver released a new report, “Saving Lives: The Road to Comprehensive Cervical Cancer Prevention in the Developing World,” which highlights recent innovations and commitments focused on preventing and treating cervical cancer. Currently the number one cancer killer of women in developing countries, cervical cancer causes over 275,000 deaths each year, 88% of which occur in the developing world. Though cervical cancer isn’t directly addressed in the Millennium Development Goals, and is too often viewed as a problem of the developed world, addressing this major public health issue will have a direct impact on reducing poverty and improving women’s health in the developing world.