Updates

By: Sarah Nakimbowa, The Key Correspondents Programme

The Key Correspondents Programme is covering the Women Deliver 2013 global conference live from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia May 28 – 30.

Her name is Christine Obuya, but she is known as Pastor and she earned her nickname for her dedication to reducing the rate of HIV transmission from mothers to their children.

As a midwife at Iganga government hospital in Uganda, Obuya has seen firsthand the importance of integrating HIV with sexual and reproductive health services. And as an HIV activist Obuya, 63, has had a huge impact on women in her community, but it was almost a very different story. Read more...

By: Carmen Barroso, Regional Director of IPPF-WHR; Originally posted on Huffington Post

There's a lot of talk about investment these days; as the global economic crisis stumbles on, social services are cut from the USA to Uruguay, and the planet faces ever more urgent environmental threats. But next week, women and policymakers from around the world will gather in Malaysia to foment a revolution. Their call? Investment of a different kind, investment in girls and women for the sake not only of people, but also for the planet. Read more...

By: Mina Das

This post is part of a series created in partnership by WASH Advocates and Women Deliver. For more information, please contact Cecilia Snyder csnyder@WASHadvocates.org.

NISHTHA means devotion or commitment in Bengali and is also the name of a small organization in West Bengal, India that was founded by women. NISHTHA has over 35 years of program experience in the areas of health and hygiene, women and girl empowerment, legal advocacy, water resource installation and maintenance, vocational support, and education for sustainable agriculture. Read more...

By: Susan Mitchell, Vice President, International Health, Abt Associates and Director, Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector Project

Often overlooked, the private provider is essential to improving the health of women and children.

We’ve passed the 1,000-day mark to meet the Millennium Development Goals, and it is clear we need to bring all our resources to bear if we are to come close to achieving our goals. Effective engagement of the private sector is key. Read more...

By: Danielle Keiser

This post is part of a series created in partnership by WASH Advocates and Women Deliver. For more information, please contact Cecilia Snyder csnyder@WASHadvocates.org.

Now and since the dawn of time, girls and women have bled every month. Even though many accept it is as natural and normal process in human life, menstruation is still treated as the ultimate taboo in many cultures and societies.  If it is discussed, it is done so with shame, embarrassment and disgust. Read more...

By: Jill Sheffield, Founder and President of Women Deliver; Originally posted on Huffington Post

Last month, Malala Yousafzai became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee in history. Less than six months earlier, she was shot at point-blank range by those who wanted to silence her for promoting girls' education in her native Pakistan. In a world that too often punishes and oppresses women, and tells girls that they cannot achieve, Malala is a beacon of hope. Read more...

By: Dr. Joachim Osur, Program Director, Ipas Africa Alliance

Illness or death during pregnancy in my country, and throughout the region of Africa, is so common as to be considered a necessary risk of creating a family. This is particularly true for women of fewer means or in rural areas. Each case represents a family crisis or tragedy — but to me they represent opportunities lost and rights denied. Read more...

By: Dr. Neeraj Mistry, Managing Director of the Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases

This post is part of a series created in partnership by WASH Advocates and Women Deliver. For more information, please contact Cecilia Snyder csnyder@WASHadvocates.org.

To remind ourselves why it is so vitally important to make improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), all we need to do is take a look at what’s in the dirty water. Lurking in infested water sources are parasitic worms that cause diseases such as human hookworm and schistosomiasis. These infections spread easily in communities that don’t have access to clean water or sanitation facilities. Read more...

By: Paula R DeCola, External Medical Affairs,  Pfizer Inc

It has been quite a journey leading up to this third Women Deliver (WD) conference. In London 2007, the WD conference focused on advocating for better progress in reducing maternal mortality, since the numbers of deaths were the same as those reported at the 1995 Beijing World Conference on Women. Then onto WD conference 2009 in Washington DC, where we saw a decline in maternal deaths in a number of high burden countries, and of course campaigning for continued progress, as well as for expanding advocacy to encompass the insidious neglect of the girl child. Read more...

Women Deliver is delighted to announce the winners of the social media contest to attend Women Deliver 2013 global conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was a chance to win a ticket to the decade’s most important event for girls and women for the social media savvy.

Applicants were able to compete in three competitions by either submitting a photo demonstrating how women deliver; designing the next Women Deliver social media badge; and/or tweeting a dream for the future.

Thank you to the hundreds of participants for your submissions. Each one conveyed passionate dedication to improving the lives of girls and women. Read more...

By: Faustina Fynne-Nyame, Ghana Country Director for Marie Stopes International

There are still more than 200 million women and girls around the world who want to use contraceptives but cannot access them.

For some, not being able to control the number and spacing of their children is a matter of life and death. Some 287,000 women die each year – mostly in developing countries – as a result of pregnancy and childbirth. A further 47,000 die having risked their lives through unsafe abortion. For others meanwhile, having too many children to support locks them into extreme poverty. Read more...

By: Belkis Giorgis, PhD, Management Sciences for Health

At Management Sciences for Health (MSH), we say that leaders aren’t born:  Leadership is learned.

If we only look to those in official positions of power, whether in the health system or in political offices, we may be missing the most influential leaders to develop and empower: the women in the households and on the frontlines of the health system.

Head of household

As health caretaker for her family, a woman requires all the characteristics of a good leader. She has to multi-task, prioritize, negotiate, manage, inspire, and persuade. The stakes are high: the strength of her leadership can ensure the survival of her family. Read more...

By: Dr. Helene D. Gayle, President and CEO of CARE USA and Dr. Julia Newton-Howes, President and CEO of CARE Australia

Next month, representatives from leading NGOs, advocates, government officials and donors will gather at the Women Deliver 2013 Conference in Kuala Lumpur to ensure that the health and rights of girls and women remain at the forefront of global humanitarian and development agendas.

Since the first conference in 2007, there has been an unprecedented expansion of global commitments to the health and welfare of women and girls. Real progress has been made indicated by a 47 percent decline in maternal mortality worldwide between 1990 and 2010. Read more...

This contest is now closed. Women Deliver held a contest to win free registration to the Women Deliver 2013 global conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This was a chance to win a ticket to the decade’s most important event for girls and women for the social media savvy. Read more...

By: The Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council

The Malaysian Rubber Export Promotion Council (MREPC) is proud to support Women Deliver 2013 to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Here is a corporate video of MREPC. Read more...