cooper and emily's blog

Women Who Care

2007-12-04T09:20:38-06:00

Sera Bonds is one. Big Time. Three years ago, Sera founded Circle of Health International to provide health services to women in areas of conflict and disaster. One woman, an idea, some training, and a mission, and she's saving the lives of women around the world.

I talked to Sera yesterday. She's been traveling the country raising money for the programs she runs. It's been a long couple of weeks and she's ready to get back to what she knows best, training healthcare workers in remote parts of the world.

We've successfully trained 55 midwives and doctors in Tibet in emergency obstetrics. The Tibetan government accepts our training and materials and has asked us to extend our program into other areas.

One trained midwife in a village can vastly improve the lives of the entire community. From the Circle of Health International's website is this story from Tibet -

It’s a cold autumn evening, and you've just put your young children to bed. The fire in the stove is warm, and a pot full of yah butter tea is boiling on the stove. There is a rushed knock at your door. It is a husband of a woman in the next village that you visited a few months back, she is in labor. He thinks she has been laboring, "too long, will you come?" You tell your husband of the news, poor a thermos of tea, wrap yourself in your thick woolen coat, and join the worried husband on the back of a borrowed motorbike.

As you ride through the valley, you wonder how this birth will go? The last time you attended a women in this village, the baby was dead when you arrived. You did what you could for the mother, but you know that sadness like that does not go away. BUMP! The motorbike slid out from underneath you as you drove through one of the many mountain streams you have to cross. Oh well, you both pick yourselves up, no harm was done to you or the bike, and you both climb back on. As you settle into the seat behind the anxious husband. You place one arm behind you gripping the steel bar for balance, as your other arm hangs down at your side. In your loose hand, you hold your Mala (Buddhist prayer beads), sliding one bead at a time between your forefinger and your thumb, you pray: may this birth be joyful, may she be free of pain.

The woman in the story ends up giving birth to a health baby because she receives the care she needs; what's clear, though, by the end of the story is how uncertain the survival is of every pregnant woman and her unborn child.

“We want to reach women who desperately need support,” says Sera. “Women who have been forced to flee their homes, are living amidst terrible violence, and often with life-threatening health conditions deserve to have adequate, appropriate, and accessible health care. Our goal is to gently enter conflict-affected communities and work with community health workers and midwives to enhance their skill levels and improve their access to information. By doing so, we hope to support these brave women in transforming a horrific experience into something that empowers them, individually as well as collectively, as they heal themselves and their communities.”

Since there's been so little improvement in women's health around the world over the last decades, independent efforts like Circle of Health's are offering new hope in the field. Already COHI has programs in Sri Lanka, Tibet, Tanzania, Israel/Palestine, and in January, in Sudan.

In Tanzania, they provide technical neo-natal health, HIV/AIDS, and gender-based violence related clinical skills focused in particular on adolescent girls.

In Sri Lanka, they provided women's health services following the tsunami with a grant from World Vision/Sri Lanka, and in Israel/Palestine, they are bringing together midwives on both sides of the conflict to share expertise and understanding. A new program is launching in Sudan in January.

As you think about your holiday donations this year, please consider donating to Circle of Health International. $10 pays for one birthing kit and could save a woman's life and $100 pays to train a midwife for a year. (A birthing kit includes a bar of soap, plastic sheets, rubber gloves, string, razor blades, antibiotic ointment, and the deliver of the kit to midwives.) If you pay using Paypal, type BlogHer into the form so Sera will know your donation came through here.

Another way you might help Sera is to volunteer to blog about her programs. She has offered to introduce bloggers directly to midwives in areas of conflict so you might tell their stories.

The power of one woman, especially when it comes to other women's health has lasting impact. Marsha Wallace from Dining for Women, Katherine Morgan and the work she is supporting is another perfect example. Let's each of us take the pledge to save women's lives, put the widget on our blogs and spread the word -- the health of the women, in every community on every continent determines the health of families and of nations. That is the beauty and magic of BlogHers Act, each and every one of us has the power to make a profound and lasting difference.

Emily McKhann and Cooper Munroe are BlogHer editors for BlogHers Act. They also blog at Been There and are co-founders of The Motherhood.

BlogHers Act Canada in Action

2007-11-29T17:06:03-06:00

BlogHers Act Canada is on a quest to rid Canada of Bisphenol A, a chemical used in the production of plastics that has been found harmful to humans. Some baby bottles are laden with Bisphenol A. According to researchers, most people in developed countries have levels of Bisphenol A in their bodies, but no one has determined how much of the hormone disrupter is safe in humans, much less in babies.

Mommy Blogs Toronto has launched a campaign calling on daycare centers to stop using bottles that contain the harmful compound.

Recently, nearly 150 mothers and other concerned Canadians gathered at Queen's Park to raise awareness regarding the use of Bisphenol A in plastic products, in particular, baby bottles and children's drinking cups. It is also found in the lining of some tin cans.

Studies show that bisphenol A is a suspected hormone disruptor. That means it could be risky for children, even in low doses.

The rally at Queen's Park succeeded in drawing further attention to the issue, as Premier Dalton McGuinty has agreed to table a new bill this spring in an effort to reduce and ban toxic substances such as bisphenol A.

BlogHers Act Canada

and Environmental Defence urge you to help to get daycare centres on board!

Here's what you can do:

It’s easy to take action. You can send a letter to your children’s daycare centre, asking the centre to stop using products with bisphenol A. Toxic Nation's web site has a sample letter you can download and send.

You can also provide a sample letter for your children’s daycare centre to encourage its suppliers to stop providing products with bisphenol A.

Finally, if your daycare centre agrees to stop using products with bisphenol A, send the centre a Bisphenol A Action Form to fill out and send back to Environmental Defence.

Please share your success stories with us here at BlogHers Act Canada. Together, we can protect children’s health from dangerous chemicals!

Join the campaign. And if you'd like to take similar action in the US, please blog about it, label your posts BlogHers Act so we can find them, and we'll post about your efforts here.

On another note, BlogHers Act Canada has been advocating that we all reduce our home energy use. They pointed their readers to a fantastic Canadian site called Flick Off -- check out the t-shirts and you'll see why they're logo is catching people's attention. Here's the Flick Off Manifesto:

"We have at most ten years—not ten years to decide upon action, but ten years to alter fundamentally the trajectory of global greenhouse emissions.” Jim Hansen, NASA.

And here's who needs to Flick Off:

Easy answer: we all do. Everyone from Grandma, who leaves the bathroom light on all night, to McInsertBigCorporationHere, who keeps manufacturing without a care for the consequences their profits make on the environment. Or you, getting your take-out lunch in styrofoam containers every day of the week.

… We need to make choices and hard decisions. Change will start with individuals and our buying power, and trends will lead the way for corporations and governments to follow. It may seem like turning off a porch light is too insignificant to have an effect, but these small acts are the least we can do to counteract the damage we have done to our earth.

Check out the Flick Off blog if you'd like to bid on the celebrity autographed Flick Off t-shirt.

In other BlogHers Act Canada news, we'd like to welcome Amy, aka Assertagirl, who's joined Sandra at blog chocolate and Catherine at Her Bad Mother and the other wonderful BlogHers Act Canada bloggers to take on a bigger role running the effort. Welcome to the team, Amy!

Healing Mind, Healthy Woman

2007-11-21T09:07:41-06:00

As the season of high stress kicks into gear, Harvard professor Alice Domar's words are worth remembering:

Daily practices of mind-body medicine -- ranging from relaxation to emotional expression to simply being good to yourself -- are no different than sound nutrition and regular exercise. They are genuine forms of health maintenance, with the potential to treat illnesses as well as to prevent them from developing in the first place.

We've all heard this, but Dr. Domar has actually proven the truth of her statement in her research. She is the executive director of the Domar Center for Mind/Body Health, whose tagline is "Grounded in Science, Guided by Compassion" (great, right?), and Dr. Domar is renowned throughout the world for proving that mind/body techniques and support groups help women get pregnant, improve life expectancy for breast cancer patients and reduce the impact of conditions like migraines and heart disease.

Translation - taking care of yourself, talking with other women, expressing your feelings, and connecting on an emotional level, all contribute to your health and wellbeing in a scientifically proven way. (Sounds a bit like blogging, doesn't it?)

On a personal note, it took me five years to get pregnant and to this day, I credit Dr. Domar whose book Healing Mind, Healthy Woman: Using the Mind-Body Connection to Manage Stress and Take Control of Your Life transformed my approach to whole, involved process. My heart goes out to the great bloggers who write about infertility, like Stirrup-Queens, The Maybe Baby, and Infertility Diaries, and I hope Ali brings ideas and comfort to them as well.

This month, as we kick off BlogHers Act with the launch of the fantastic new mini-website, we're profiling some of the groups making a difference on maternal health here in the US and around the globe.

UbuMama, the White Ribbon Alliance and Teaming Up all bring a particular understanding of the mind-body connection to the health of pregnant women around the globe.

UbuMama, the zulu word for motherhood, is the brainchild of Imagine Chicago (Chicago Mom Blogs take note!) and is "an arts-based project dedicated to facilitates storytelling by women who share their birthing stories and opinions of what should be done in their community to ensure that every woman has a safe and healthy pregnancy and delivery." UbuMama gathers women together to tell their stories, create maternity gowns depicting the challenges of birth and motherhood, and learn about safe practices.

These networks of women are transforming communities because the women are talking about taboo topics, learning about their bodies and health, and finding ways to advocate locally for better healthcare and resources. Visit the website to read the birthing stories of women around the world.

UbuMama is being sponsored by The White Ribbon Alliance and Teaming Up.

The White Ribbon Alliance supports safe motherhood programs around the globe (the white ribbon is dedicated to the memory of all women who have died in pregnancy and childbirth). Everywhere I turned at the Women Deliver conference people were talking about the on-the-ground work of The White Ribbon Alliance and the positive impact of their programs. Throughout their website are moving stories of Alliance's involvement in communities around the globe. Here's a link to the story of an 18 year old community health care worker who is being ostracized from her community for attending high school and traveling by bicycle to care for people in her community.

Teaming Up is a new and growing, U.S.-based program for college athletic teams to partner with women in communities with the highest maternal mortality rates. Last year, the Yale Hockey team raised money for an UbuMama project in South Africa, and this year, Princeton is supporting Kenya, Yale is supporting Nepal, Providence is supporting Tanzania, and Quinnipiac is supporting Bangladesh.

These programs are getting to the heart of the matter in the truest sense of the word. For the women being helped, the connection with other women, shared information and local advocacy is often life-saving.

For all of us, as we travel, cook, entertain, eat and visit with family and friends over the holiday, let's each find some downtime for ourselves -- and feel good about it. And as hard as it might be to do this, here's the reminder that it's not selfish to relax and put our feet up -- it's the strong and responsible thing to do for our health and wellbeing.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Emily McKhann
Website: The Motherhood
Blog: Been There
BlogHer Contributing Editor: BlogHers Act

The BlogHers Act Mini-Site: our landing page for saving women's lives

2007-11-16T18:13:57-06:00

Here is something wonderful to be thankful for -- the new BlogHers Act landing page is live!

The first step is to visit the site dedicated to all things BlogHers Act: Global Maternal Health and take the pledge to save women's lives - by promising toblog about the issues, donate time, donate money or take action -- or all of the above!

Please add the BlogHers Act widget to your site and remember to check back and blog about our monthly topics. This month we are encouraging bloggers to get behind the global issues in maternal health. Take a look at the left side bar on the BlogHers Act mini-site, there are so many resources to be found just through those links alone! Education on the maternal health issue is a huge component of our campaign, so let's get the word out and blog!

Lifelines

2007-11-13T22:14:22-06:00

Ever wonder how different your life is from that of a woman half a world away, or how similar? The UNFPA has created a new web tool, called Lifelines, to give us a bit of insight into our common, and very different, milestones. Americans for UNFPA describe Lifelines as " a communal space where women can share their life experiences and learn from the experience of others."

With Lifelines, you can put in statistics about your own life - like education, marriage, jobs, relationships and family -- and compare your lifeline to those of other women around the globe. Or you can simply surf and compare the lifelines of women already in the database. The findings are fascinating, especially when looking at maternal health.

One woman in her 40s in Uganda, with little education, has 10 children, has been married since age 18 to someone who "picked her" and is a grandmother several times over.

Anika Rahman , who runs Americans for UNFPA, wrote a blog post for the Huffington Post in which she said:

It's troubling to me that when many Americans think of Africa, Asia and Latin America they only have visions of turmoil and trials. Our TV screens are riddled with images of women starving to death, dying of AIDS, raped by soldiers. The problems seem so far from our own experiences that it makes the women and the seriousness of the situations feel equally distant.

And it becomes hard to imagine that women in Seattle have much in common with women in Senegal or Suriname at all. Instinct might suggest that we are worlds apart, but we all grow up with dreams. We all contemplate marriage and children in some way. And often, we love, laugh and cry at similar situations and celebrate similar passages through life.

… Through Lifelines you can read the story of a 60-year-old from Cambodia whose first job taught her to sew and today she helps victims of domestic violence learn to do so as a means for economic sustainability. You can read the story of an 87-year-old from the U.S. who had her first child at age 27 and safely delivered 7 children in her lifetime. And you can compare your experiences to these and other women in the world.

Yesterday, Womens eNews carried a story highlighting funding for maternal health initiatives around the globe, and linking to Lifelines.

On another note, in Beth Kanter's recent passion and fashion post, Bevson commented that November is Prematurity Awareness Month. Bevson and the March of Dimes on their blog are hoping to get the word out. Given the connection to maternal health, we'd like to help them do that!

Emily McKhann
Website: The Motherhood
Blog: Been There
BlogHer Contributing Editor: BlogHers Act

Maternal mortality ratio falling too slowly to meet goal

2007-11-09T19:59:51-06:00

One of the more depressing pieces of news to come out of the Women Deliver Conference in London last month (if you haven't already, be sure to watch these videos from the conference) came from the WHO: maternal death rates, according to the Millennium Goal # 5 are falling much more slowly than anticipated and at this rate will not meet the Millennium Development goals.

The world’s maternal mortality ratio (the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) is declining too slowly to meet Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, which aims to reduce the number of women who die in pregnancy and childbirth by three-quarters by 2015.

While an annual decline of 5.5% in maternal mortality ratios between 1990 and 2015 is required to achieve MDG 5, figures released today by WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA and the World Bank show an annual decline of less than 1%. In 2005, 536 000 women died of maternal causes, compared to 576 000 in 1990. 99% of these deaths occurred in developing countries.

The maternal mortality ratio in 2005 was highest in developing regions, with 450 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births, in stark contrast to nine in developed regions and 51 in the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Moreover, the small drop in the global maternal mortality ratio reflects mainly the declines that have taken place in countries with relatively low levels of maternal mortality. Countries with the highest initial levels of mortality have made virtually no progress over the past 15 years.

The new maternal mortality estimates show that while gains are being made in middle-income countries, the annual decline between 1990 and 2005 in sub-Saharan Africa was only 0.1%. No region achieved the necessary 5.5% annual decline during the same period, although Eastern Asia came closest to the target with a 4.2% annual decline and Northern Africa, South-Eastern Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean experienced relatively faster declines than sub-Saharan Africa.

Slightly more than one half of the maternal deaths (270 000) occurred in the sub-Saharan Africa region, followed by South Asia (188 000). Together, these two regions accounted for 86% of the world’s maternal deaths in 2005.

Eleven countries accounted for almost 65% of global maternal deaths in 2005. India had the largest number (117 000), followed by Nigeria (59 000), the Democratic Republic of the Congo (32 000) and Afghanistan (26 000).

The probability that a 15-year-old girl will die from a complication related to pregnancy and childbirth during her lifetime is highest in Africa: 1 in 26. In the developed regions it is 1 in 7300. Of all 171 countries and territories for which estimates were made, Niger had the highest estimated lifetime risk of 1 in 7.

All of this is even more evidence that what we are doing as a group with BlogHers Act is so critical. And read this INCREDIBLE post from One Plus Two (it's a few months old, but absolutely heart stopping) about what is happening to mothers and newborns in this country, too, right now. BlogHers Act for Maternal Health matters, big time.

Millennium Goal #5

2007-11-06T20:08:54-06:00

Back in September 2000, all the nations of the world signed on to the Millennium Goals, one of which was to reduce maternal deaths by ¾ by the year 2015. At the time, everyone -- the leaders of something like 190 countries -- actually thought this a realistic goal.

But here we are seven years later, almost half way there, and there's been no improvement on maternal health. Progress is being made on the other goals but, still, every year half a million women die in pregnancy or childbirth and that number hasn't changed in years.

So, clearly, it's time to kick things into gear. And there are some amazing people working hard to make this happen.

One of them is Flavia Bustreo, the Deputy Director of The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, based in Geneva. I got to meet Flavia when she was in New York and then see her again at the Women Deliver conference in London and on both occasions was blown away by her. Imagine an Italian woman with lots of flare, an easy smile, tons of focused energy, and an innate ability to bring people together around smart conversation, and that's Flavia. Of course, you'd have to layer in that she's a physician with a few extra advanced degrees, she co-authored a big paper for the Women Deliver conference, and, oh, she speaks seven languages.

Before meeting Flavia, I heard from more people than I can count that she was a go-to person on maternal health and she would completely get BlogHers Act (which she did, immediately). What I also came to understand is the central role and potential of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, created just two years ago. Here's a description of the Partnership -

A global health partnership launched in September 2005 (that) joins the maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) communities into an alliance of some 180 members to ensure that all women, infants and children not only remain healthy, but thrive.

... The Partnership … encourag(es) unified and effective approaches that promise greater progress than in the past. ...Members represent partner countries, UN and multilateral agencies, nongovernmental organizations, health professional associations, bilateral donors and foundations, and academic and research institutions.

In other words, the Partnership is pulling the key players together so they can coordinate their activities and get on the same page. No small task, and crucial to making real headway.

We're looking forward to working with Flavia as BlogHers Act kicks off.

Another person who has committed her life to this arena is Jill Sheffield, the founder of Family Care International, who organized the first Safe Motherhood conference in 1987 in Kenya which, according to The Lancet, "brought attention to the high number of maternal deaths and challenged the world to do something," and who organized the Women Deliver conference, attended by almost 2000 people.

Fred Sai, the chairman of FCI said of Jill, "Over the past 20 years, Jill has shown such enthusiasm, leadership, dedication and personal sacrifice to the cause of the Safe Motherhood Initiative that no one else can match. It is no exaggeration to say that but for her, the initiative would have been consigned to history as another of those international fads that come and go."

Meeting Jill in New York was a huge thrill. She is an awe-inspiring leader and communicator who has focused so many people's attention on this issue, in particular on the economic reasons for the world to pay attention to maternal health. She believes that improving maternal health around the world will improve the health of the globe, and building the political will to make this happen will take all of us. We're with you, Jill.

If you'd like to read other bloggers on the topic, you might want to check out these: Jill Sheffield, Katie Porter, and Anika Rahman.

Emily McKhann
Website: The Motherhood
Blog: Been There
BlogHer Contributing Editor: BlogHers Act

Blogging for Good in the World - Successfully

2007-10-31T15:58:13-05:00

Here's a question, "Why do some global health initiatives get LOTS of attention while others get so little?" Put another way, why does so much of the world's resources go to HIV/AIDS and immunizations, and so little go to maternal health, malnutrition or pneumonia?

Jeremy Schiffman answered the question in an article he wrote for The Lancet and in his presentation at the Women Deliver conference that caused a buzz when he determined why the safe motherhood initiative, at work since 1987, has gotten so little traction.

Why am I writing about Professor Schiffman's work? Not just because it's about maternal health, the focus of BlogHers Act, but also because anyone who's promoting a cause or wanting to make a difference in the world through their blogs or otherwise might want to know about his findings.

And, for sure, some of his points got me thinking about how BlogHers could make a really big difference on maternal health.

To cut to the chase, here's what he found. Successful global health initiatives depend on these four traits -

1. The strength of the actors (the individuals and organizations) concerned with the issue

2. The ideas they use to position the issue

3. The environments in which everyone operates

4. The characteristics of the issue itself

So, the people, the ideas, the context and the features of the problem. Leave one of those out and you're not going to make the headway you want (and nor is maternal health).

Jeremy has an excellent table in his paper, summarizing the key points, but I've chosen one point for each trait that relates specifically to blogging (at least in my mind) --

1. Actors - Civil society mobilization - The extent to which grassroots organizations (that would be us!) have mobilized to press international and national political authorities to address the issue at the global level

2. Ideas - External frame - Public portrayals of the issue (us again!) in ways that resonate with external resources

3. Contexts - Policy windows: Political moments when global conditions align favorably for an issue (now!), presenting opportunities for advocates to influence decision-makers

4. Issue characteristics - Credible indicators - Clear measures that demonstrate the problem and that can be used to monitor progress

We're a grassroots group that is committed to being heard; as bloggers we're portraying the issue in ways we all can understand and appreciate; the Clinton Global Initiative, the Women Deliver Conference, and others large-scale initiatives are putting a spotlight on the issue and are getting people's attention, and the message is about the importance of mothers not only to their communities but to the health of nations (when 1 in 6 women are dying in pregnancy or childbirth, a community is destined for failure).

Bottom line: Bloghers can do great things according to Professor Schiffman's research. And we've seen it time and time again when bloggers have taken up causes. Some of the standouts are: Beth Kanter, Britt Bravo, 24 Hours for Darfur, Menu for Hope - Chez Pim, Mobile Phones for Action, Take a Stand, and Nothing But Nets.

There are lots more, of course. Please use the comments below to give a shout-out to other bloggers who are making great things happen in the world through their blogs.

Emily McKhann

Website: The Motherhood

Blog: Been There

BlogHer Contributing Editor: BlogHers Act

Blog Day for MOTHERS Act - October 24

2007-10-23T20:38:02-05:00

Our very own Katherine Stone appeared this morning on The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet to talk about Blog Day for MOTHERS Act -- happening THIS WEDNESDAY -- and did a wonderful, amazing job. Go to the Mike and Juliet site to watch Katherine talking in the Green Room after her interview and see what a natural she is on camera.

We're all getting behind Blog Day for MOTHERS Act tomorrow because as Katherine says,

Postpartum depression is a serious and disabling condition that affects up to 20 percent of new mothers -- as much as 800,000 American women each year. Yet only 15 percent of these women will receive any assessment or treatment. Let me repeat. With all we know and as smart as we are, only 15% of 800,000 women will get diagnosed and treated. That is so wrong on so many levels. Women are not being diagnosed because they're not being educated and they're not being screened. Untreated, the consequences of maternal mood disorders range from chronic, disabling depression to death. The impact of untreated maternal depression on infants/children ranges from behavioral and learning disabilities to depression and, in the worst case scenarios, death from infanticide."

Here's what Blog Day for MOTHERS Act is all about (thank you again, Katherine):

On Wednesday October 24th, BlogHer, Postpartum Support International and Postpartum Progress are joining together to host Blog Day for the MOTHERS Act. We're asking bloggers from around the country to write about the MOTHERS Act for postpartum depression on the 24th and to encourage their readers to pick up the phone that day, call their Senators and urge them to endorse this critical legislation. I hope you will join us in this effort, which is part of the overall BlogHers Act 2007-2008 initiative to improve maternal health.

What is the MOTHERS Act? The Moms Opportunity to Access Help, Education, Research and Support for Postpartum Depression Act, or MOTHERS Act (S. 1375), will ensure that new mothers and their families are educated about postpartum depression, screened for symptoms and provided with essential services. In addition, it will increase research into the causes, diagnoses and treatments for postpartum depression. The bill is sponsored by Senators Menendez and Durbin.

So,

1. Blog it on Blog Day for The MOTHERS Act tomorrow, Wednesday, October 24, 2007 

2. Share your link at BlogHer 

3. Proudly display the badge in this post stating you're going to do the above.

4. CALL YOUR SENATORS AND ASK THEM TO SPONSOR AND SUPPORT THIS LEGISLATION!!!

5. Go to Postpartum Support International to get all the contact info you need.

We're seeing some great bloggers already take up the charge. Angie Pederson has called her readers to action, as has our very own Elisa Camahort and Denise. The Soccer Mom Vote posted their support for the legislation earlier this year, as did Melanie. And we're cross-posting at Been There and The Motherhood of course.

We're hoping a LOT of bloggers will get in on the act on Thursday. Your post doesn't have to be long. Just let everyone know you support the bill, and you hope they'll agree with you, and call their Senators.

And every one of us, let's pick up the phones tomorrow. Even if you've never ever called your Senator before, give it a try. It takes a couple of seconds, and all you need to do is say to the person who answers the phone that you're calling because you want the Senator to vote for the MOTHERS Act, Senate Bill 1375. Telling him or her that you vote and you live in the Senator's state. That's it. They'll make a note of it, and you're done. And you'll feel great because you've been heard and because you could make the difference in getting this bill passed into law.

Healthy Moms, Healthier World

2007-10-22T21:42:14-05:00

Standing alone on the cover of the special issue of the British medical journal The Lancet are these words, in large letters, "Since the human race began, women have delivered for society. It is time now for the world to deliver for women."

The world is waking up to the importance of maternal health to the health of the globe. (And now let's all pause together and mutter under our breath our own version of The Lancet quote, "About time.")

At the Women Deliver conference in London, 1,800 participants attended from 109 countries, including a five-member U.S. congressional delegation lead by Rep. Lois Capps of California, and 70 cabinet ministers and parliamentarians.

Representative Capps said,

We may have dragged our feet a bit in the U.S., but we are going to hold hearings and we’re going to create a workable strategy on behalf of women. We’re going to make sure that the U.S. participates in a global effort to deliver for women around the world.”

Some serious money was pledged to improve maternal health, both at the conference and leading up to it:

-- $1 billion from Norway to improve maternal and child health and reduce disease

-- $200 million from the United Kingdom to UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund to advance women’s reproductive health worldwide

-- $178 million from The Netherlands for gender equality and maternal health

-- $21 million from Denmark for HIV/AIDS and reproductive health

-- $11 million by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to distribute new technology to stop blood loss after childbirth

-- A commitment from Japan to put global health at the centre of the Group of Eight summit meeting in Japan next year

-- Pledges of further action from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the David & Lucile Packard Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, UNICEF, and others.

This is not business as usual. People and organizations are stepping up to the plate because there's been an enormous realization -- a real "aha" moment around the world -- that mothers are essential to the health of communities. Without healthy mothers, communities don't stand a chance of improving their quality of life. (Imagine if 1 in 6 women who got pregnant in your town died, as happens in some places, how devastated and immobilized your community would be.) Healthy communities, healthy nations.

In addition to these big players making big waves at the conference, there were many inspiring, creative, hard-working groups whom I will be writing about separately, but want to point out now.

UbuMama - ...a Zulu word for motherhood, and an arts-based project dedicated to bringing mothers' stories of giving birth in the developing world into public view, to honor the lives of mothers and to increase the commitment to saving the lives of women dying in childbirth.

The Rebecca Project for Human Rights … "Raising the voices of vulnerable families." Listening to the stories of Malika Saada Saar, the executive director, and I was a puddle.

Deliver Now - Go here to sign the Global Promise if you agree with this statement, "I believe no one should ever lose a mother, a wife or a child when simple, proven, life-saving solutions exist. I support the global promise to deliver now for women and children."

The White Ribbon Alliance -- a grassroots movement for safe motherhood that builds alliances, strengthens capacity, influences policies, harnesses resources and inspires action to save women's and newborns lives worldwide.

The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health - co-sponsor of the conference, the Partnership was created in 2005 to bring together 180 partner organizations to work together for maternal health. Deputy Director Flavia Bustreo led a dynamic panel discussion on developing the political will to improve maternal health. More to come on that.

PATH - an international, nonprofit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions, enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health.

Emily McKhann

Website: The Motherhood

Blogs: Been There

, Cool It Moms

BlogHer Contributing Editor: BlogHers Act

Mothers and Grandmothers

2007-10-19T06:39:53-05:00

I have always felt a special connection to my grandmother, Emily Priest McKhann. I was named after her, I've often been told I look like her, and I was born in the same hospital where she died a few weeks after giving birth to my Dad.

Emily (we never referred to her as Grandma) died of an infection that could have been treated with penicillin if the cure had been available then. My grandfather was left with two very young boys, and growing up, I often wondered how Grandpa coped with his sudden loss, what it was like for my Dad and uncle growing up without her, and what Emily was like.

She has been on my mind because I'm at the Women Deliver conference in London. Thousands of people are gathered here because they want to save women's and girls' lives around the world.

With reason. Half a million women - one every minute -- die from pregnancy or childbirth every year.

As they say here, "a woman shouldn't die giving life."

And as Jill Sheffield, the inspiring leader of Family Care International and the force behind the conference said -- 40% of all pregnancies have complications and 15% have life-threatening complications. Yup, that's right, we're talking ALL pregnancies.

So, if you're one of the 15% of pregnant women at risk and you happen to live in a place with good prenatal care, emergency obstetrics and passable roads, you'll probably live. If not, you probably won't.

I can't even imagine my fear if a friend or family member told me she was pregnant and we lived in a country where 1 in 6 women die in pregnancy or childbirth, as happens in Afghanistan and other countries. (Compare that number to 1 in 30,000 dying in Sweden, and 1 in 4,800 dying in the U.S.)

Or what my community would be like if so many of my friends and neighbors died after getting pregnant.

The Lancet, among the most prestigious medical journals in the world, published a special issue, timed to the conference, on maternal health. The lead-in editorial starts with

"20 years ago, the Safe Motherhood Initiative was launched by WHO and others to help reduce the severe global burden of pregnancy-related illness and death. Sadly, today, most of that burden remains unchanged. Over 300 million women in the developing world suffer from illness brought about by pregnancy and childbirth, and nearly 536,000 die each year. Additionally, newborn babies, whose mothers die in childbirth are three to ten times more likely to die within 2 years than those whose mothers survive.

"… Much can be learned from the HIV/AIDS world. The strong wave of AIDS activism in the 1980s and 1990s, and well-organised groups of civil society demanding access to life-saving services has given justified prominence to HIV/AIDS. Activism around maternal and child health has not gained anywhere near the same traction - a sad reflection of the low status accorded to women's issues in political circles."

Mary Robinson, the former President of Ireland, talked about being back in Dublin a short while ago and visiting a hospital. A pregnant woman had died in delivery that day and the whole hospital was mourning. As she said, around the world, these deaths should be so rare that that would be the response everywhere.

The consequences of all these mothers dying are enormous. Mothers take care of the family, buy whatever foods, medicines, and clothes everyone needs, make sure the kids get an education and work to make ends meet. (Remember the Nobel Peace Prize for micro-loans? The loans overwhelmingly go to women because they are devoted to making things better for their families.) The economic impact of losing all these mothers is $15 billion a year in lost productivity.

But, here's the thing. This problem is solvable. It's not super complicated, like HIV/AIDs. People know the answers. It just takes money -- about $5 billion, a teeny tiny faction of global GNP -- and it takes will. Political will. For that to show up, we need leadership, and our leaders need to know that we care deeply about saving these lives.

Yesterday, at the start of the conference, Gordon Brown, the British prime minister announced that England is committing over $200 million to maternal health programs. That's a good start, and there are rumors more commitments are coming today. Let's hope.

On Monday, I'll update you on other news and calls to action coming out of the conference, and possible ways we can add our voices, lend a hand and make a difference. In the meantime, other women bloggers you might want to read on this topic are Catherine Morgan, The Lancet Student, and Our Bodies, Ourselves Blog.

Thinking of Emily, I'm reminded of a family vacation my grandfather organized when I was in my 20s. After dinner one night, to the surprise of all of us, he said, "Today was Emily's birthday, and here in the room tonight is every one of her direct descendents." Grandpa was not a sentimental person, and he had never said anything like this. After a pause, he continued, "I'd like to tell you something about her," and he went on to tell us about how they met, their courtship, her mother and father, some of the things he loved about her and stories of their time together.

All those years later, and we still needed to fill a great big hole in our family. There are so many holes to fill, far too many, around the world. And for no reason - it's not like the solution hasn't been invented yet.

Emily Priest McKhann

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Website: The Motherhood
Blog: Been There
BlogHer Contributing Editor: BlogHers Act

Maternal Health is a BIG topic these days

2007-10-12T11:22:30-05:00

Maternal health is a big topic these days (and not just because BlogHers Act has made it the cause for the year!). Here are the highlights --

-- Airing tonight on PBS at 8:30 p.m., is an hour-long program Child Brides: Stolen Lives. Here's what's going on. Around the world, young girls are being forced to marry, and their little bodies often can't handle pregnancy so they die in childbirth or are so wounded by it that they remain outcasts for the rest of their lives. When these young girls are forced to marry before they're 18 -- 100 million of them over the next ten years -- they drop out of school, have no way of supporting themselves or their family, and doom everyone to continued poverty. The greatest indicators of maternal health are the age of the mother and her education. So, around the globe, with so many young, young girls getting being married, the communities don't have a chance to improve their lots. The mothers aren't there to provide the needed backbone and support.

Emily Douglas interviewed the filmmaker Maria Hinojosa and blogged about the conversation.

-- Today, the latest statistics on maternal mortality were officially released by the World Health Organization, the World Bank, UNICEF and UNFPA. Essentially, more than 500,000 women die each year in pregnancy or childbirth and we are nowhere near reaching the Millennium Development Goal. The BBC had this report:

"Experts have condemned the "appalling" lack of progress made in reducing the number of women worldwide dying during pregnancy and childbirth.

"Analysis in The Lancet medical journal shows half a million women die every year - little change from 20 years ago.

"And 20 million unsafe abortions - a major factor in maternal deaths and illness - are done annually.

"A key global target of 75% reduction in maternal deaths by 2015 will not be met without urgent action, they warned.

"Dr Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet, said women were too often seen as "containers" for babies and nothing more.

"He said there should be no more excuses or delay in attempts to dramatically cut the number of deaths by three-quarters, as was set out in the Millennium Development Goals."

Included in the report released today are statistics on maternal mortality. Some comparisons: In the U.S., one in 4800 women will die from pregnancy or childbirth. In Italy, by comparison, it's one in 26,000. And we thought we had the best healthcare?!? In the developed world, the U.S. is 36th. But compare our numbers with Afghanistan, Congo, or Niger, with 1 in 8, 1 in 13 or 1 in 7 girls and women dying because they got pregnant. And, as Child Brides: Stolen Lives shows, most of them are married.

-- Next week is the Women Deliver conference in London, a history-making gathering of thousands of people who are dedicated to improving maternal health around the world. I'll be attending the conference and will blog about it here and at Been There and The Motherhood. If you have any questions you'd like me to ask participants, or would like to cross-post or get involved in any other way, please let me know in the comments!!!!!

In advance of the conference, you might want to read Jill Sheffield's blog. She's the inspiration behind the conference and

-- October 24 is Blog Day for MOTHERS Act. Katherine Stone has posted about our collective interest in and commitment to passing this law to support women with postpartum depression. Please read Katherine's post, and get ready to blog about MOTHERS Act on October 24!!! There is so much more for us to do, and Katherine has outlined it beautifully in her post.

That's it for now. Look for posts from London next week!

Emily

Emily McKhann

Website: The Motherhood

Blog: Been There

BlogHer Contributing Editor: BlogHers Act

The Clinton Global Initiative - Maternal Health and A Final Round-Up

2007-09-30T22:50:20-05:00

At the Clinton Global Initiative, I got into a conversation with a reporter (from a big U.S. media outlet) about the statistics on maternal health, a recurring topic of the three day event – that more than 500,000 women die from pregnancy or childbirth complications every year -- and he said, "Isn't that a form of population control that the world needs?"

And why, you’re wondering, knowing me, am I quoting him? Because the thinking behind it might be one of the reasons we’ve done so little for all the women around the world who are dying in childbirth, largely preventable deaths, and because, there’s a good argument, beyond the many really obvious ones, that maybe he hasn’t thought of, and I want everyone who thinks like him to know.

Here’s how it goes – A healthy mother takes care of her family. Healthy families make for healthy communities. Healthy communities make for healthy nations. It’s geopolitics. When a mother dies, the chances of her other children surviving or doing well in life in a developing country drop enormously. Women receive 90% of the micro-loans. They are the force for improving life in their communities, and when one in seven dies in childbirth, as happens in some countries, there’s no hope.

If we want nations to raise healthy citizens (ones that are less likely to become terrorists and more likely to care about the world around them and lead productive lives), then a first step is to save the mothers.

Here are some quotes -

The Prime Minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg: "What we did this morning was to launch a big campaign on the child and maternal health. And Norway announced that we will increase our financial support with $1 billion U.S. dollars.

"One woman dies each minute giving birth to a child. In Norway, one woman per 30,000 births dies. In Afghanistan and some other countries, it's one in seven. Among the most dangerous things a woman can do is to give birth."

Helene Gayle, M.D., PH.D., President, CARE International: "In Peru, we were able to reduce maternal mortality by almost 50 percent, 49 percent in a project that really just worked with communities. [We] developed the infrastructure, trained healthcare workers, made sure that women had access to services and that they knew how to access the services and felt empowered to do that … So we have programs that show, if you really just put the right interventions in place, most of them, incredibly cost effective, that they do have real and tangible results."

Former Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.): "One of the things that I think all of us from whatever country we are from, need to engage, and in my case, the American people, but also globally, on these issues, better understanding. The fact it is affordable, cheap, life saving is so crystal clear."

Gayle Smith, in her comments as one of four people closing the conference, “If we want to change the world, change regions, rebuild – women are not an add-on. They are the way forward.”

Thomas Kalil, also one of the speakers summarizing the conference at its conclusion, "Giving birth to a child should be a blessing and not a deadly game of Russian roulette.”

Former President Bill Clinton: “There's only one thing we can do to slow down the population growth -- put all the girls in the world in school and give all the young women a chance to make a living. We know that delays the age of marriage. We know that delays the age of child bearing. We know that leads to relatively smaller families."

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On another note, the CGI finale is up on the site, and is an AMAZING thing to watch. All the speakers are phenomenal, but if you want start with just the highlights, watch Gene Sperling (he's the first person President Clinton hands the mike to), and then watch Clinton's closing.

Here’s just a bit of what was said in the closing …

President Clinton said he sees CGI as an “action-forcing event.” He wants to “change the playing field for the future.”

Gene Sperling talked about education being the silent crisis because there is no moment when the CNN camera captures a kid dying from lack of education. Every year of education for a mother increases the chance of her child living by 10%. When a woman has five years of education, her children are 50% more likely to see their fifth birthday.

When you walk into the poorest schools, the kids have the highest hopes, to be teachers, doctors, heads of state. These kids aren’t victims. They’re like our kids.

One of the millennium goals is universal primary education by the year 2015. Singularly, the most ambitious and pathetic goal.

From President Clinton, talking about how terrible it is that hundreds of millions of kids are not getting educated, “Every parent knows that every year in a child’s life is a stunning panorama of unpredictable development.”

Here’s some more from Clinton (paraphrased) “Reimagining being a 21st century citizen begins with believing it will make a difference to you and others. It will make you feel better (studies have shown it will make you healthier and live longer too) and you have to believe it will make a difference.

He talked about the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, and how these were ordinary kids who went on to live good, productive lives. Then he made the point that what they did, by standing up to the Governor of Arkansas, and the protesters who didn’t want them going to the all-white school, was to move us from opinion to conviction. We couldn’t just have an opinion when this was in our face. We moved from inclination to action. From “I wish” to “I will.”

“That’s what I’m trying to do here,” said President Clinton, to move us “from being people who endlessly say ‘I wish.’ I never cease to be amazed by the people who step forward with ‘I will.’”

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Lastly, a HUGE topic of the Initiative was global warming, The commitments made for improving the environment, cutting greenhouse gases, and creating new regulatory and international frameworks were incredibly smart. If this topic interests you, definitely read the transcripts and watch the videos on the site.

Live-blogging the Clinton Global Initiative with Former President Clinton, Angelina and Brad

2007-09-26T08:51:07-05:00

Here's some of what's happening today at the Clinton Global Initiative ...

10:03 - They've just announced the names of all the heads of state who are here today (52 of them), representing 72 countries.

Former President Clinton just came on stage. "More than 600 commitments have been made. 20 mllion tons of greenhouse gases avoided, 3 million more micor-entrepreneurs have accessed capital."

"There are nearly 1300 CGI members in the room today. The premise of CGI is we are facing complex problems that governments are not or can't solve.

"Everyone has a different story and we inhabit the world in different ways. Just about everyone in this room believes that our common humanity is more important than our difference."

"We seem to all accept our shared responsibility for correcting the current challenges, and leaving a better world for our kids.

"We are webcasting, and we're giving everyone a chance to make their own commitments, MyCommitment.org."
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In the first hour of the Clinton Global Initiative that concluded a couple of minutes ago, Former President Bill Clinton discussed with Al Gore, the presidents of Wal-Mart, the World Bank and Afghanistan, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu an incredible range of the world’s most pressing issues.

Here are some highlights --

Al Gore - "The climate crisis isn't going to be fixed by private efforts alone. At the rate we're going, the polar ice cap will be gone in 21 years, and it won't return for millions. In 1987, two years after the hole in the ozone was discovered, President Reagan listened to the scientists and put us on track to start addressing climate change. People said it would be too expensive, but it wasn't. We need to call on President Bush to follow Reagan's example. We have to have binding reductions and the US has to lead the world to solve the climate crisis. If those who take the low road and cut corners aren't penalized and can gain advantage on others then it won't work. We need a treaty by 2009 and to put it in force by 2010.

"We can't continue to treat our environment as an open sewer. Think of it as a Tale of Two Planets. Earth and Venus are the same size and have the same amount of carbon. On Venus, the carbon is in the air and on earth it's in the ground. On earth, the average temperature is 59 F and on Venus the average temp is 800+F. We're taking carbon from the ground and putting it in the air."

Gore asked for a Global Marshall Plan for the creation of jobs around the reduction of carbons. He cited an African proverb -- "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. We have to go far quickly, and need a mass persuasion campaign to change the climate of public opinion on climate change."

Former President Clinton interviewed Lee Scott, the President and CEO of Wal-Mart who talked about how his company’s environmental commitments have saved them a ton of money while doing good for the environment and customers. "These weren't exotic innovations. We got General Mills to straighten the noodles in their Hamburger Helper which meant they could fit in smaller boxes and we saved hundreds of tons of cardboard and kept trucks off the road. Our suppliers were waiting for us to ask them. We underestimated how much pride everyone would take in being a part of this." President Clinton acknowledged how many energy efficient light bulbs Wal Mart has sold, saying if everyone bought these light bulbs, 80 coal fired power plants wouldn't be needed.

President Clinton tried to get the head of the World Bank, Robert B. Zoellick to address the idea that there is a need for an organization to help countries use the most current and clean technologies to meet their energy needs, saying that he has heard from ministers that Africa should be the first oil-free continent. Clinton said, "If you are running a country with a per capita income of $300, you can't necessarily afford to hire the people you need to help you find the technologies that are going to provide for clean fuels while improving the economic circumstances of your people."

He went on to say, "If Lee Scott can do this, make a ton of money by lowering costs and increasing customers' disposable income, other businesses will follow suit," making a comparison to the lead government agencies can play. "We need an institution that won't preach to developing countries but will help them get to an oil-free, biofuels economy, not the energy policies of 20 years ago.

Mr Zoellick wasn't going there, saying only that he's heard from developing countries that they're concerned that the emphasis on clean energy will take away from poverty programs.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a highlight for the room. President Clinton asked him about the spate of books equating religion with the world's problems, and Archbishop Tutu said that the authors were using "selective evidence.” What about the Dalai Lama? He can fill Central Park and people flock to see him even though he doesn't even speak English properly. They hone in on the goodness that is in him.

"Most people expected my country (South Africa) to go up in flames, for there to be a religious bloodbath, but it didn't happen. And most people would say we're deeply religious."

President Clinton said that the books out now saying the problems of the world are because people are too religious are drawing the wrong conclusions.

Archbishop Tutu said, "Can we join God's utopian dream that we would live in harmony? For God's family has no outsiders - the rich or poor, the smart and the not-so-clever, gays, lesbians and the so-called straight (laughter in the room) -- they all belong. God says you can help me realize my dream that our children see that we're all part of one family, laughing and living and sharing together. How about helping God realize that dream?

Before and after this opening session, President Clinton highlighted five of the major commitments being made this year. The critical initiative for BlogHers Act was announced with the Prime Ministers of Norway, the Netherlands and Indonesia and the head of UNICEF on stage - they launched a campaign called Deliver Now (that I blogged about yesterday), to improve the health of women and children.

Ten million children die every year before they reach five years of age and more than 500,000 women die because of complications around pregnancy and childbirth (one every minute). The organizers of Deliver Now are committing $1.5 billion to the campaign. $1 billion dollars can save the lives of 2 million children.

With BlogHers Act, we'll hope to support Deliver Now with their ambitious and life-saving campaign.

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Here's the part on Brad ...

Here at the Clinton Global Initiative, Brad Pitt just announced a "sustainable building effort for New Orleans, for the Ninth Ward," called "Make it Right."

He said, "These are people who did everything right. They had jobs, they raised their families .. and now it's gone, it's all gone.

"This has been labeled the worst natural disaster in the history of the country. That's not exactly right. It's the worst man-made disaster. This is the result of climate change and decades of irresponsible management of the levees. New Orleans isn't even on the coast, and if we're not careful, it soon will be. The mistakes made here proved fatal. We have a responsibility to right the wrong."

Brad announced that he and Steve Bing will match $5 million in donations for a total of $10 million in contributions to build 150 affordable and sustainable homes.
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Angelina Jolie just announced a commitment to educate one million children in areas of conflict. She stood on a stage in a small press room with the leaders of 15-20 organizations behind her and talked about the needs of kids around the globe who are going uneducated because of conflict raging around them.

She started off by saying, "It's a great honor to get to know children of refugees. They will have no floor, no pens, having not had breakfast and will just sit quietly to hear a teacher talk. These are kids who can be overwhelmed by despair and violence, or they can grow up and become teachers and help transform their communities."

Angelina announced that over 18 commitments are being made in more than 15 countries as part of the project, and as a result, one million children's lives will be improved. Involved organizations are Nike, the Sesame Workshop, UNICEF, the Save the Children Alliance and others.

When it came time to ask questions, I jumped at the chance (totally nervous of course). Here's what I asked…

"I'm a mom and my life was transformed when our blog became a clearinghouse for the people of the Gulf Coast who lost everything to Katrina. Mothers flooded our site because they wanted to do more than write checks; they wanted to give of themselves. For all of us, it seems, when we become mothers, the world's children become ours, as I imagine you would agree. My question is, for the moms and women, all of us -- we're so busy with our lives, shouldering the burdens of the world, taking care of our families and communities -- but we're online and we can get into action online. How can all of us who care about these issues support you? What would you like to ask us to do?"

Angelina gave the floor to several people on the podium with her, including Ann Venemann from UNICEF, and a few others. They emphasized that education should be seen as a right for these kids, and not just a charitable endeavor. These kids are the future of their countries, and educating them is the best thing we can do to reduce future conflicts. They also emphasized how little we in the US know about these issues, and bloggers can accomplish a LOT in getting the word out, in helping to educate us all about what's needed around the world.

Then, as the moderator was about to move on, Angelina jumped in and said, "I'd like to add something. One thing we can do as mothers is to talk to your own children. If we can help our kids understand the world, we can do something for our own understanding and theirs. A lot of these organizations have materials for children. You can show them different schools in different countries and help them appreciate what's going on."

So, that was kinda fun. A conversation with Angelina Jolie. Yeah, there were gazillions of people in the room (how DOES she hold her concentration and finish a sentence with 5,000 cameras with flashes going off every time she smiles?), but it felt like a connection and she seemed to like talking about being a mom.

Addendum:

Angelina just addressed the general assembly and and the conversation was about education. She talked about a boy she met in Afghanistan who was selling tissues (that's how he was making a living). A man with a wound said to the boy, "I'll give you some of my begging money if you'll give me some tissues." The boy said yes, and when the man unwrapped the bandages, the man's wound was covered in maggots. The boy ran away because he was scared. But he came back because he was a good kid, and he helped the man clean his leg wound. When I met them they had been together for a few months, and at that point, they were friends and the boy was helping the man. He was so gentle and did such a good job of cleaing the wound and taking care of him that I asked him, 'You're so good at caring for him, would you like to become a doctor?" He looked at me and said, "I must sell tissues." And I sad, "'But if we could find a way for you to be educated and become a doctor, would you like that?" He said, "Yes, I would, but I must sell tissues.'" At that point, she was teary, as were a lot of people in the room. She went on to talk about the kids and say that there good kids who need the opportunity of education.

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Nicholad Kristof just made the point that a girl in southern Sudan is more likely to die in childbirth than be literate. Maternal mortality and lack of education in Sudan are unfathomable to us here.

Then he asked if everyone on stage had seen that kids in these developing countries are desperate to get educated? Angelina answered, "I took three kids to school to school this morning, and they weren't that excited about it. And here, kids will say things like they want to be an actress - not the noblest profession -- but in these countries, you see kids desperate to go to school and you ask them what they want to be and they want to be great things to help their countries."

The Clinton Global Initiative

2007-09-24T10:03:48-05:00

I am so excited about this. The Clinton Global Initiative has granted me a press pass to live-blog the conference! One of the first sessions of the first day is on ... get this ... maternal health.

How perfect is that? BlogHers Act votes to make something happen on maternal health, and the world lines up. I'm going to interview everyone I can (think Brad Pitt has time for the bloggers?), and am putting my questions together now. I'd love suggestions, so if you have questions you'd like asked of this collection of world, business and non-profit leaders, let me know and if I can get answers, I'll post them and link back to you.

One question I can't shake is along the lines of, "Do you (or your organization) have plans to tap the enormous community of women who are online and want to make a difference? We're busy and strapped for time, but with the web, we can get involved in new ways. What's your approach to reaching women online, and what can we do to help?"

Please weigh in. I'd really love your thoughts!

Morra Aarons is planning to post about the politics and news angles of the conference, so look for her posts too!

Additionally, if you're a NYC-based blogger, there's a lunchtime event/concert at 1:00 pm in Bryant Park on Wednesday in support of Deliver Now, the maternal health project the Prime Minister of Norway is kicking off that day at the CGI. Ricki Lake, Chaka Khan and others will be there, and bloggers are hugely welcome. Let me know if you're going and I'll see if I can help set up interviews with the participants, and email me a link to your posts (emily@themotherhood.com), or post them in the comments here, and I'll include them in my roundup.

Thanks!

Emily McKhann