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World Population Day 2006   
Commentary by CEDPA President Yolonda C. Richardson July 10, 2006—July 11 marks World Population Day worldwide. The day was first commemorated in 1987 when the world’s population reached 5 billion. A dozen years later the planet added another billion people and today, there are 6.5 billion of us. Discussions about population growth are really discussions about the health and well-being of the world’s people. While life has improved for many in countries where population growth rates have slowed, relatively high birth rates and poor health in the developing world means that the quality of life has not improved for billions of others. And this is especially true for women, who continue to face enormous health risks, social barriers and economic uncertainty in developing countries. The good news is that more girls than ever before are able to get an education. Thirty years ago, less than half of all girls in sub-Saharan Africa attended primary school. Now, more than four out of five do. However, girls are still less likely than boys to go to school because of pressure to marry early, care for sick relatives, run households and help support their families. Today, girls are more than 60 million of the over 100 million children who are not in school. But when girls enter their reproductive years, they face increased challenges. Health risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth now claim over 500,000 lives each year—one per minute—nearly all in developing countries. Little progress has been made in improving maternal health over the last decade. AIDS, a disease that was unknown when CEDPA was founded 30 years ago, has reversed gains in life expectancy in some nations. There is cautious optimism in a handful of countries where prevention efforts appear to have slowed HIV’s spread, including in areas of Kenya and Zimbabwe. But the numbers of those infected continue to rise in nearly every region of the world, particularly among women and girls. Today, some 17.5 million women live with HIV, and three out of four of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. At CEDPA, we believe that the solution to these challenges lies within women and girls themselves. Our approach, which emerged from 30 years of work to advance international development, involves training women leaders, partnering to strengthen their institutions, and mobilizing communities for change. This approach ensures that energetic, committed women and men have the practical skills to mobilize their neighbors around issues of common concern, the ability to leverage organizational resources, and tenacity to build coalitions to achieve change. In India, for example, CEDPA helped form the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood India in 1999. The alliance includes individuals, organizations and leaders from through India who are committed to bringing critical attention and action to the high rate of maternal death in the country. To date, the White Ribbon Alliance’s grassroots and media campaigns have reached hundreds of millions with messages on preventing maternal deaths, and increased political commitment to making motherhood safer. As we commemorate World Population Day this year, the question is: What can we do to ensure that everyone enjoys a quality of life that allows them to fulfill their dreams free from the constraints of ill-health, poverty and inequality? CEDPA’s track record and experience demonstrate that by focusing greater resources on women and girls, and working hand-in-hand with them and their organizations, we can make a more promising future for everyone. |
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