Delivering for Women

Oct. 19, 2007—Twenty years after the safe motherhood movement began, more than 1,500 health professionals and safe motherhood advocates are issuing a wake up call to world leaders to make women’s health a priority.

The Oct. 18-20 Women Deliver summit in London has brought together delegates from 75 countries to galvanize support for improved maternal health. Despite advances in medical care and technology, every minute a woman dies in pregnancy and childbirth somewhere in the world. Millions more suffer lifetime disabilities.

Travelling thousands of miles from the furthermost reaches of Sudan, Niger, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania, a group of fistula survivors left their homes for the first time to advocate at the summit for improved maternal health care.

“I came here to represent other women that have fistula and to ask political leaders to help these women get treatment,” said 57-year-old Martina Labia from Tanzania. “Every woman should go to the hospital for delivery, and hospitals should be close to the villages.”

“Every woman should go to the hospital for delivery, and hospitals should be close to the villages.” said Martina

Obstetric fistula is a childbearing injury that has been almost eliminated in the United States and Europe. It is typically caused by several days of obstructed labor without prompt medical intervention. The consequences can be life shattering. The baby usually dies, and the woman loses control of her flow of urine and feces. Fistula can be mended with a simple surgery, but this treatment is out of reach for most affected.

CEDPA spent three days with these fistula survivors in advance of the Women Deliver conference, leading a training workshop to give them new skills in advocacy and communication. Each had become personally committed to ensuring that fistula is eradicated in her community, and that treatment is available for all.

“Having fistula is not the end of the world,” 20-year-old Halima Idrissa from Niger told her fellow fistula advocates at the workshop. “Fistula can be cured: I am a living example of that.”

The training workshop was sponsored by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. UNFPA leads the global Campaign to End Fistula. It is estimated that at least two million women are living with fistula in developing countries.

CEDPA workshop participants learned to advocate effectively for safe motherhood reforms.

Now at the Women Deliver conference, the new fistula advocates are telling their stories and demanding action. They have pledged to continue their advocacy when they return home.

Twenty years of research and experience have demonstrated proven ways to prevent maternal health complications like fistula, and save the lives of mothers and their newborns. Progress in countries such as Egypt, Sri Lanka and Thailand have shown the benefits of effective, low-cost investments in preventive health care, education and strengthening health systems.

Yet, maternal and newborn health still receives inadequate attention and funding in most areas of the world.

Women Deliver conference organizers are calling for greater government and donor investment in key areas that will make pregnancy safer, reduce maternal deaths and enable women to reach their fullest potential. These include prevention interventions including girls’ education and access to reproductive health care, access to skilled birth attendants, and the greater involvement of women in decisions that affect their lives.

Learn more about the Women Deliver conference, including Web casts and news summaries.

Read stories from the fistula survivors who participated in CEDPA's training.

Read about CEDPA’s work to improve women’s reproductive and maternal health.

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