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As of the time this post was written, we've worked together to raise $5,870. That's a good solid donation but it's not nearly enough. The women and children and families of Afghanistan, Africa, Burkina Faso, Burma, China, Darfur, and Nepal still need our help.
I went surfing the news headlines for all of these regions and here's what I found:
Darfur 'Scorched Earth' Tactics Warrant UN Sanctions
In three separate cases, women told Human Rights Watch that militia members shot at them as they fled to hiding places, killing babies they carried on their backs. One woman from Silea, who had her baby boy on her back and was pregnant, had a miscarriage when soldiers shot her before looting her house.
Chinese children go back to school, in tents.
Children were among the most prominent victims of the quake, which struck at 2:28 p.m. May 12 as classes were in session across Sichuan province.
Schools were especially hard hit. Officials say almost 7,000 classrooms collapsed, some allegedly due to shoddy construction, underscoring the problem of chronic underfunding for China's education system, especially in small towns.
The deaths of so many children triggered the first flashes of public anger from the disaster, and Beijing officials were quick to promise an investigation of building standards. Anyone found to be responsible for putting students in danger would be severely punished, they vowed.
School supplies are scant. At a sprawling camp in Mianyang, students had no desks or books.
In Burma, 2 million people are at risk
The situation continues to worsen in Burma with the United Nations now estimating 2 million people are at risk of disease and starvation in the wake of the devastating cyclone.
South Africa is failing its mothers and children
The country is currently one of only 12 countries globally that has increasing rates of child deaths.
Yet it is estimated that over 40 200 child deaths as well as many maternal deaths and stillbirths could be avoided with simple, internationally recognised interventions. At least 260 mothers, babies and children die each day.
Christy Turlington and Geri Halliwell were on the Hill in support of maternal health legislation (HRes1022).
"I've had safe deliveries for both my children because I have had access to skilled medical care," said Burns, an ambassador for the humanitarian organization CARE. "Yet for too many women in the developing world pregnancy and childbirth is a serious life-and-death issue."
Burns added that every minute one woman dies from childbirth.
"This isn't about politics," said Halliwell, who is a United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) goodwill ambassador. "This is about mothers and children."
I just backspaced a very long closing paragraph asking you to give one more donation and blog about this one more time but I think I'll just leave you with my latest pledge.
I'm going to make a donation in the name of Her Bad Mother who would normally have been posting a BlogHers Act update today - but she isn't because she is on a mini leave of absence, relaxing after delivering a healthy baby boy. And, every time a friend or family member delivers a baby I'll make the same donation in their honor. (I'm expecting three new nieces/nephews!)
