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Happy Birthday, CEDPA!   
April 16, 2010—Thirty-five years ago today, the Centre for Development and Population Activities (CEDPA) registered as a non-profit institution in Washington, DC. At the time, childbirth was one of the most dangerous times in a woman’s life. Other than a few trailblazers, few women had assumed leadership positions in health or other sectors, so their voices were absent when decisions about services were made. CEDPA’s early founders focused on training women managers in developing countries to ensure that family planning and maternal health programs reflected the real-life needs of women and their families. They believed that investing in women and girls would reap huge rewards for their health and the development of their communities. “The organization’s decision to focus on women managers challenged conventional wisdom that doubted women from developing countries could become leaders,” Kaval Gulhati, one of CEDPA’s founders, recalls. Back in 1975, women’s leadership in public life was novel; less than 11 percent of worldwide parliamentary seats were held by women, and only a handful were heading major institutions or companies. By focusing on women’s leadership, CEDPA’s trainings have graduated many thousands of alumni who have gone on to head government ministries, serve as members of parliament, and become elected to the highest levels of public office (you can read some of their stories here). CEDPA’s alumni have proven the power of women’s leadership and CEDPA’s early faith in the critical role that women play. Despite these achievements, CEDPA’s work remains as critical today as when we began. Though many girls today have a better life than their mothers did 35 years ago, life is much as it has always been for millions of others. Back then, world population was just over four billion. Today, there are nearly 7 billion people. Women’s average life expectancy has risen from 62 years in 1975 to 70 years today, though this average masks wide disparities between those living in wealthier and poorer nations. According to a recent World Health Organization Report, women can expect to reach age 80 in 35 countries, yet in many sub-Saharan African countries, the average women does not live past 54. Today, complications during pregnancy and childbirth are still one of the biggest challenges to women’s health, especially in these six countries that represent 50 percent of all maternal deaths worldwide: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Another danger is HIV/AIDS, unknown when CEDPA was incorporated. Today, more than 15 million women live with HIV; approximately three-quarters of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Despite these challenges, there is mounting evidence of what saves women’s lives: early investments in girls’ education, community-based reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programs that are integrated so that women and men can receive comprehensive services no matter where they access care, and programs that empower women so they have the ability to make informed decisions about their own lives and raise healthy, educated children. These are the areas that CEDPA has addressed through its 35 years of work, and our proven approaches have resulted in empowered women who have empowered communities. Read more about our work in girls’ education, reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, governance, and leadership. CEDPA’s track record and experience demonstrate that by working hand-in-hand with women, community partners and committed governments, it is possible to make the next 35 years an even more promising future for today’s girls. |
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