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