Orginially posted on 8 March 2010 on Huffington Post by Rahim Kanani, Research Associate, Justice and Human Rights, Harvard Hauser Center
Today, when we think of Afghanistan, a cauldron of chaos comes to mind: massive international counterinsurgency and counternarcotics operations, countless NGOs struggling to maintain neutrality and operational integrity amidst the militarization of aid and development, and the sheer deprivation of dignity suffered by the overly-occupied Afghan people, among other such indictments of the international community's historic and present-day involvement. While these issues continually make above-the-fold headlines, today is International Women's Day (IWD), and I wish to highlight yet another travesty in Afghanistan: maternal mortality...
Updates » Blog
Maternal Mortality in Afghanistan: A Way Forward
March 11th, 2010
What is the True Cost of Unwanted Pregnancies?
February 26th, 2010
Today, Sarah Boseley, the health editor of the Guardian, dedicated her Global Health Blog to the issue of maternal health and family planning. In her post, Boseley discusses the difficulty in combatting maternal mortality. But, she references the true "quick win" when it comes to saving women from dying of complications from pregnancy and childbirth: Family Planning. She says...
Early Research Results: Why MDG5 is So Off-Track
February 19th, 2010
Suzanne Ehlers, the Interim President of Population Action International, wrote an op-ed piece for the Huffington Post on the early findings of their joint research with the Maternal Health Task Force on maternal health supplies. Ehlers writes in her post about maternal health research in Bangladesh and Uganda where they're learning...
Maternal Health in Haiti on PBS
February 2nd, 2010
The PBS newsmagazine show NOW on PBS highlighted maternal mortality in Haiti on Friday night with an interview from Ann Starrs, president of Family Care International. While Haiti's catastrophic earthquake has left lives and institutions in ruin, it has also exacerbated a longtime lethal risk in Haiti: Dying during childbirth. Challenges in transportation, education, and quality health care contribute to Haiti having the highest maternal mortality rate in the Western Hemisphere, a national crisis even before the earthquake struck.
Ideas for Change: Investing in Women
January 25th, 2010
Change.org just launched the 2010 Ideas for Change in America competition and the White Ribbon Alliance has submitted a call to the US government to make maternal and newborn health a priority by investing in women. Their idea is titled: Invest in a More Stable World, Invest in Women.